


Slayers: Fallen Stars Part I: It Fell From the Sky

by Neptune_Butterfly



Category: Lost Universe, Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Novel & Manga References, Post-Slayers Revolution/Evolution, Romantic Fluff, Story Arc, Unresolved Romantic Tension, brief nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-03-29 01:02:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13916049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neptune_Butterfly/pseuds/Neptune_Butterfly
Summary: After fighting mages, monsters, other-worldly forces, reviving an entire country, and defeating pieces of Shabranigdu, an old enemy returns but in a very different form.  Filia's new life in the West Lands with baby Val is threatened.  Lina and Gourry are determined to protect her from a certain monster and a mysterious dragon with a message from Milgazia.  Meanwhile, in the Desert of Destruction, Zelgadis has a run-in with an odd sorceress whose origins he finds questionable.  Amelia's anxious for a new adventure after helping Pokota in a year-long effort to rebuild Taforashia.This is the first story arc of Fallen Stars.  It has been broken up into parts to help everyone find the chapters they like and to make it easier to read.I don't know if a disclaimer is needed here, but you know I don’t own Slayers.  However, I do own every original character here.  Please ask my permission should you desire to use them (and please don’t be too dirty with them.  I think I’ve done enough damage as it is).





	1. It Fell From the Sky

# ~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~

## Chapter One: It Fell From the Sky

Zelgadis secured his mask tighter around his face as the sandy winds picked up in anticipation of a morning storm. He cursed it for the hundredth time as his cape wrapped around his front, making it even more difficult to walk.

He had hoped his search would not lead him back to this Gods-forsaken place, but having no other leads at the moment, the chimera decided to give it another shot. This time he made sure he stayed on the main road, if you could call what looked like barely a line in the sand a road. A merchant caravan that had been carefully establishing trade with southern countries since they suddenly became accessible three years ago offered him to travel with their group. The pace was slower but a bit more comfortable, and since he had never ventured beyond the border of the Desert of Destruction, their knowledge of what to expect might come in handy.

A collection of tall mesas peeked through the thickening dust up ahead. Picking up the pace, the caravan hoped to make it and find shelter before the storm hit full force. It was not looking good. These storms were what gave this wasteland its name, and they could last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. Nobody was looking forward to slowly choking to death. 

It made Zelgadis wonder why anyone would bother taking such a dangerous route all in the name of commerce. _I guess some people are just that crazy._ He let out a muffled sigh. _Jeez, I’m one to talk! As if following a mere_ rumor _for a cure is any better! I should’ve gone back to Seyruun after the last one didn’t pan out._

His hand unconsciously went to his pouch hanging on the back of his belt and fingered the outline of a charm belonging to a certain princess.

_Not yet. I don’t want to see that disappointed look on her face again when I come back looking the same as before._

Zelgadis happened to glance to his right towards the west. A strange orange glow in the sky about the size of the sun was slowly getting brighter. He did a double take when he realized the _real_ sun was on the _other_ side of him, and the ball of light was moving at least a hundred times as fast.

“What the hell?” The chimera stopped in his tracks for a second, then sprinted off as fast as the wind would allow. Removing his mask, he called out the caravan leader. _“RASHAD!”_

A large man with a build that could rival that of the crown prince of Seyruun himself slowed down and motioned the rest to stop. His headdress whipped from one side to the other as he turned his horse to see what the commotion was about.

_“RASHAD!”_ Zelgadis called out again. _“RASHAD, LOOK!”_ He pointed in the same direction he was looking moments before.

Everyone including Rashad who turned to look at Zelgadis utterly confused then turned their attention westward. Their curiosity and confusion changed to fear as they caught sight of the light now hurtling low over their heads towards the sun. A low roar overtook the howling wind, and every horse in the caravan whinnied and kicked the air.

Those who did not have a horse dispersed to find shelter in the dunes while the rest were either kicked off or jumped off and followed suit, and not a moment too late.

First came a blinding flash of light that penetrated even their well covered eyelids, then a bang that caused everyone to go temporarily deaf, and finally, a change of wind direction from west to east.

It was not just any wind. It was too strong and too hot to be of this world or any known spell from such a large distance away. Anything that was standing was quickly knocked down or scattered, and many of the merchants found themselves blown a good distance away along with the dunes.

Zelgadis, who had a body like stone, managed to stay put, along with one other man.

As the wind died down, Rashad looked over to him from behind what was left of his dune. “Mr. Greywards,” Rashad addressed him in a deep voice with an accent desert people were famous for, “Do you have any idea what we just witnessed?”

“I’m not sure.” Zelgadis stood up. His ears were ringing horribly. He made a mental note to cast a recovery spell on them and everyone else’s before they became permanently damaged. “It could be some sort of meteor.”

“A what?” Rashad asked, probably because he was having a hard time hearing too.

“A _meteor_ ,” the chimera repeated louder, “like a falling star. It’s a good thing it didn’t explode any closer or we would’ve been cooked.” He pointed out the smoke left in mid-air indicating it never touched the ground. “The heat coming off that blast was almost too hot to handle.”

The merchant stood as he shook his head. “I feel sorry for any poor bastard that was near it. There is supposed to be a spring over there where the nomads stop regularly.”

The thought made Zelgadis cringe.

Then Rashad said, “Look, something is burning.”

He looked. Under the massive cloud of smoke, darker smoke was rising from the ground with a red-orange tint right at the horizon.

“Not much to burn unless you have a bunch of tents,” Rashad continued, “It must be one of the larger groups.”

Zelgadis did not want to dwell on that any further. “What are you going to do now?”

“I guess I will have to go back.” The merchant shrugged. “Most of my wares are ruined anyway.”

“It seems like such a waste for you,” the chimera said.

“It is part of the business. This is not much worse than the first time I came out here. The nomads are not kind to those who take advantage of their resources. You cannot blame them. Water is a precious commodity out here. And what about you?”

Zelgadis thought for a moment. The rest of the merchants by now have gained their bearings and were rounding up the horses and what was left of their possessions. He had hoped for Rashad’s help after crossing the desert, but now the idea of continuing on his own seemed ludicrous after what he had just witnessed.

_No telling what else might fall from the skies._ He sighed. “I guess I better take this as a sign to turn back.”

~~~~~

It was one of the most beautiful spring mornings Seyruun had seen in recent history.

Princess Amelia literally bounded out of her bed with a smile as bright as the sunlight flooding through both sets of large double doors flanking her bed. She danced in it letting her light pink nightgown billow out as she twirled. _A week! A whole week to myself!_

Being so busy the past year with recovery work in Taforashia left her with little time to take care of her regular duties, let alone to breath. A lot of travel was also involved, and Amelia could have sworn she had visit every major city of the Eastern Continents a dozen times.

Each trip was largely uneventful. She devoured every adventure and romance novel she could get her hands on to pass the time during the long carriage rides. It was enough to give anyone brain fry, but she did not care.

Audrey, her personal handmaid, would warn her not to take any of it too seriously: _Real love never plays out like a novel,_ she would always say, _once you have your first heartbreak you will never look at them the same way._

_What does she know?_ Amelia skipped over to one of the double doors and flung them open to let fresh air in. _She’s only a little older than me and never had a relationship before._

The princess plopped down in front of her vanity, adjusted a shoulder strap and began brushing her dark unruly bed head. In a month she will be nineteen _finally._ Just one last trip to see Pokota next week, and then the last-minute planning for the parties would start.

She made sure to send out her invitations early enough, so they would reach their destinations any day now. _Thank goodness Miss Lina bothers to write, once in a while!_

Filia never missed a beat writing the last two years, and neither did Zelgadis after their last adventure together. Amelia eagerly awaited their monthly updates, especially when she was on the road because it gave her something to look forward to after each trip.

_I wonder if Mr. Zelgadis will be able to make it._

In the last letter Amelia got from him, he ranted on about how he loathed the idea of traveling back south. It tickled her when she read the part about getting sand in places where it would take months to clean out.

_With a body, made of rock, that must be tough!_ She giggled so hard her cheeks turned pink and had to put down the brush.

Amelia knew she should not laugh. It did not matter to her, but it was important to him. The last time he came to visit he did not take her disappointment too well. It was not because he had not found a cure, it was because he could not stay. She had been so lonely lately, and even Pokota could not spend much quality time with her. Audrey spent more time lecturing her nowadays, like a mother hen. Amelia missed the days when they played together before she became her handmaid.

Sighing, she checked her hair in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place, then walked over to her wash room to clean her teeth and face.

When she finished, she grabbed a fluffy white towel and gently patted her face. As she lowered it from her eyes, Amelia noticed the room brighten for just one second. She sat the towel down and trotted out to her balcony to check what was going on outside.

The loudest sound Amelia had ever heard in her life brought her to her knees with a yelp. It was followed by a strong earthquake shaking the palace, and the princess curled herself up in to a ball with hands over ears.

Something in her room smashed on the floor. Amelia managed to turn her head and saw the small flowery vase she received as a birthday gift from Filia last year in pieces beside her dresser, along with less breakable items scattered all over the carpet. A couple of panes on the double doors cracked, and in less than a minute, it was over.

Amelia was too scared to move. She remained crouched on her balcony making sure nothing else was coming.

Shouts were heard all over the palace grounds. Feet pounded the hallway outside the bedroom door. A female voice was shouting for the princess. _“AMELIA! AMELIA!”_ It barged in without knocking.

A young woman in a blue-gray work dress with white puffed pants and wavy light brown hair tied up in a matching bow ran to the balcony, somehow missing every object in her path. Amelia stayed put until her handmaid reached her.

“Oh gods, Amelia, are you okay! It’s Audrey, Honey, look at me!” Audrey forced the princess’ head up and lowered her hands from her ears.

“I-I’m o-okay,” Amelia stuttered. She hated seeing Audrey so scared. Her hazel eyes always turned a stormy blue whenever something upset her. “D-did you see it?”

“See what?” Audrey asked, a little calmer now but confused.

The princess pointed. “There was something that lit up the sky brighter than the sun. It was only for a second…”

~~~~~

“C’mon Gourry! You don’t wanna get left behind now do ya?!” Lina shouted over her shoulder as she ran down the boardwalk towards one of the piers.

Far behind her, a tall blonde swordsman ran as fast as he could. “No fair, Lina! You had a head start!” 

“That’s what happens when you _lose!_ ” the red-headed sorceress taunted.

They had another one of their eating contests that morning and Gourry lost again, leaving him with the bill. Lina had sprinted out of the restaurant before he could protest.

She skidded and turned left on to the pier with the biggest ship at port, weaving around sailors and travelers. Lina always insisted traveling in style while at sea. This ship was heading southwest to a large island just off the West Lands as the new, but not new, continents came to be known. The island harbored a prosperous city that was a popular tourist destination in the West with its luxury resorts, hot springs of course, and rumors of a vast treasure trove buried somewhere underneath the city.

As more and more travelers came back with these stories, each one wilder than the last, Lina found it hard to resist. And when she found out about the resorts and hot springs, well, that just did her in.

Lina halted at the loading ramp to allow her protectorate companion to catch up. _I’ve been giving him way too much grief about this trip lately. Poor jellyfish._

She smiled fondly at Gourry who was still at the far end of the pier and turned her gaze westward.

_If everything goes as planned, we could swing by the mainland and surprise Filia!_ It had been too long since they had seen the dragoness, and the only updates they received were through Amelia’s letters.

Lina continued to stare at the bright crystalline water, listening to Gourry’s footsteps getting closer above the chatter.

A sudden flash off the water’s surface blinded her. She winced and turned away.

“Hey, Lina, what was that fla--”

Gourry was cut off by a deafening clap that made everyone in the vicinity cover their ears. They only had a few seconds to recover, then the pier began to shake violently.

Lina felt herself pinned down by a pair of very strong arms that wrapped around her head as soon as she hit the pier. Her head was spinning and barely registered the fact the rest of her body was held in place by another laying on top.

Through the muffled screams and rattling wood she heard a voice say in her ear, “I’ve got you.”

~~~~~

Across the Demon Sea, the sound carried past where the old barrier once stood, reaching every seaside town of the Western Continents and beyond. In a certain town not far from the shore, on a certain street, on the third floor above a certain mace and pottery shop, a young blonde dragoness was startled awake.

She sat straight up from a deep sleep with a gasp and quickly scanned the room with half-opened blue eyes. Her braided long hair stuck out everywhere.

“Huh-wha…?” Filia said in her next breath. 

The soft glow of a nearly full moon peaked out through the creamy thin curtains beside her bed, gently illuminating her neat little room. Nothing had moved from its spot, and no way anything on the lower floors could have made such a noise because it had a distinct echo that often came with thunder…or gunfire.

A quick glance through the window confirmed the sky was crystal clear. _Well, whatever it was, it isn’t moving any more._

A small cry in the next room compelled Filia to get up from her bed. She adjusted the shoulder of her white long-sleeved cotton nightgown that had a tendency to fall down whenever she made a sudden movement. Being early Spring, it still got chilly at night, and the sudden rush of cold air after leaving the covers made the young dragoness shiver as she crossed the floor to the door.

Val was laying in his crib, fussing about the sudden disturbance. His tiny wings flittered, and his short scaly black tail twitched, twisting up the soft deep blue blanket that was tuck around him. At the sound of Filia’s gentle hushes and coos, he began quieting down and allowed her to lovingly gather him up to her chest.

“Shhh…There, there, Hon. Shhh…I’ve got you.” She felt Val’s small snout bury into her nightgown, and she giggled softly.

“Wut wus zat, Boss?” Jillas mumbled sleepily peeking in from the hallway. His fox ears were as mussed up as Filia’s hair.

Fila sighed. “I have no idea. It’s clear outside.”

Then there was a low roar beneath them, making the walls shudder for half a minute. Val whimpered into his mother’s chest, and Filia held him tight while trying to remain on her feet.

_“O-OH NO-O! Z-ZAT CAN’T BE GO-OD!”_ Jillas latched himself to the doorframe until it was over.

Distant shouts caused both of them to peer out the window facing the street. Lights came on in almost every building, and a combination of pajama clad citizens and city militia were gathering below.

“Oh dear,” Filia whispered.

She tried to make out some of their faces to see if she could recognize any of them. Mrs. Gillet from next door, who had more kids than she could count, was standing outside her tailor shop with her oldest son, talking to Neils who was in the middle of night patrol.

A teenage girl came running out of a side street, and judging from where she was headed, Filia guessed that was Janna, a local artist, coming to check on her pots she fired in one of the shop’s kilns just the other day. “Jillas, unlock the side door. One of the girls wants to check on her pots.”

Jillas nodded and made his way downstairs.

Filia remained at the window looking for more faces. _Gravos must be dead asleep not to hear any of this._

She was almost envious. Val rarely slept through the night as it is.

An odd glint caught the corner of her eye. She looked closer into the growing crowd and could have sworn she saw a familiar looking cloak and purple hair.

The dragoness shook her head and looked again. He was gone.

“I’m not getting enough to sleep,” Filia said wearily. She lifted Val from her chest. “And it’s all your fault!”

The tiny Ancient dragon made hungry sounds, not happy that he was taken away from where his next meal was coming from.

Filia laid him back on her chest, and Val began clawing her nightgown. “Alright, Hon. I know it’s time. But let’s go downstairs first.”


	2. Someone is Looking for You

# ~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~

## Chapter Two: Someone is Looking for You

After the shaking stopped, Lina cautiously opened her eyes and found herself face-down, against the faded planks of the pier. There was something holding her down impeding any body movement.

She let out a couple gasps of air, “W-what was…w-what made that--”

“--Lina, can you get up?” Gourry’s anxious voice came from behind.

Now that her head had stopped spinning, Lina turned beet red realizing whose body was on top of her. “Uh-um, c-can you get-off, -so-I- _can_ -get-up?” she finished quickly embarrassed at what she just said.

“Huh? Oh.” the swordsman got up. He could not quite understand why she was so upset.

Relieved, Lina jumped up to her feet to survey the damage.

Most of the piers and the boardwalk appeared largely intact. Smoke rose from various places from the city behind them. People ran about the ship, and with the ramp gone, some decided to jump off. Apparently, it gained a sizable hole from ramming into a pier on the other side. Pieces floated by with some carrying a few passengers of their own.

“Wow, we were pretty lucky!” said Gourry.

“I wonder if that earthquake had anything to do with that flash,” Lina thought aloud.

“Oh, you saw it too, Lina?” he asked.

The sorceress turned around. “Well, it was pretty hard to miss!” She let out a disappointed sigh. “We’ll have to find another way to get to that island. _And_ we might have to wait until Amelia’s birthday before we can see Filia and Val.”

“Umm, when is Amelia’s birthday again?” Gourry asked, his memory failing him again.

Lina gave out a more irritating sigh this time. “Didn’t you read the invitation, Jellyfish?!”

“Excuse me?” A gentle but firm male voice came from behind Gourry.

Both turned and saw a young man, with mid-length black hair tied back low on the neck and deep green eyes, wearing robes of deep blue with silver trim, and a cloak of the same color. He did not appear to have any travel bags with him, just a money pouch hanging on a silver belt.

Lina assumed it was a local nobleman, though the clothing did not appear to fit local fashions and did not hesitate to let her lack of respect for his status show. “Yeah, what is it? We’re a little busy here. Although, if you’re looking to hire a sorceress for a job it won’t come cheap.” She clapped her hands together greedily.

The dark-haired man ignored her comments and asked, “Do you know a Filia Ul Copt?”

“Who wants to know?” Lina retorted with suspicion.

Undeterred, the man continued. “I am on an errand, and if you cannot help me--”

“--That depends,” the sorceress cut in, “Who are you, and what do you want with our friend?”

The young man took a deep breath. She was clearly trying his patience. “My name is Torrin Ru Egan from the Kataart Mountains, and as for your friend, I’m afraid I need to speak with Miss Ul Copt first.”

“Well sorry, she isn’t here. Now, if you would excuse us. C’mon Gourry.” Lina made her way towards the boardwalk, but Gourry remained where he stood transfixed on the stranger.

“Say, are you a dragon?” he asked.

_“Gourry!”_ Lina yelled.

Torrin blinked in surprise. “Why, yes I am. How’d you guess?”

The swordsman looked thoughtful. “Well, for one thing, you’re looking for a dragon. And you look a little like Miga-whats its.”

“It’s Milgazia,” Lina corrected.

“You know him?” Torrin asked her.

“Know him? He traveled with us for a few months not too long ago,” she said.

“And who are you?” he questioned.

Tossing her long red hair, flashing her brightest smile and putting her hands on her hips, Lina gave her introduction. “I am the hopelessly beautiful, intelligent, and very talented Lina Inverse!”

“The Dragon Spooker?” The sorceress’ smile turned into a glare at Torrin’s remark. He merely smirked. “Lord Milgazia mentioned you often.”

“On the other hand,” Lina continued to glare at him, “he never mentioned _you_. And I’m guessing you’re not a Golden dragon, or even a Black dragon for that matter, if you’re from Kataart.”

“That’s right,” Torrin replied. “I’m a Dimos dragon, servant of the Earth Dragon King Rangort. We were originally from the southern deserts, but we took refuge in the northern mountains after the War of the Monster’s Fall.”

“Now your clan keeps watch over one of the pieces of Shabranigdu,” Lina concluded.

“Exactly,” the Dimos confirmed.

“Interesting.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “Where does Filia fit in all this?”

“It has nothing to do with why I’m here. It was just a personal request,” Torrin explained. “Lord Milgazia has been busy since he returned from his travels, so he sent me. I am a representative of my clan who’s been working with the clans of Dragon’s Peak the last few years.”

Lina thought the dragon looked a little young for emissary work, but then Filia was also sent by her own clan on an important mission even though she was barely an adult herself. The same could be said for Amelia.

Since it was at Milgazia’s request, the sorceress no longer felt the need to be obscure with Torrin. “Well, if you wanna know where Filia is, she’s across the ocean. In fact, we were hoping to swing by when we were done with our trip.”

Torrin felt heartened. “If you allow me, I could take you myself. Seeing as you only mentioned your friend to Lord Milgazia maybe once or twice and had nothing more than her name to go by in order to find her, perhaps we can work together and reach our destinations much quicker, Miss Inverse.”

“You know, you’re _way_ too polite Egan. I’m just Lina.” She slapped Torrin hard on the back.

“And I’m just Gourry Gabriev.” He held out his hand.

The dragon took his hand and nodded. “Good to meet both of you.” His voice remained steady despite feeling a little unsure about the odd couple.

“We’ll take you up on your offer,” said Lina. “But first, we need to get our refund.”

~~~~~

Prince Philionel had his hands full that morning organizing groups to survey the damage of the city. With his resources strained from helping with a year-long recovery effort of Taforashia, he had to hurry before other cities and towns from all over the kingdom asked for possible additional aid. Troops, healers, and leaders of local trade guilds were called on for help in keeping the peace and providing for anyone needing medical attention.

His daughter Amelia quickly dressed and came down to the throne room as soon as she could with Audrey in tow. Sylphiel, who had been working with the Seyruun royal family for nearly three years now, had just left to help with the organization of the city’s healers when the princess entered the room. 

“Daddy!” Amelia ran down the red carpet. A group of advisers quickly got out of the way.

The prince turned around and opened his arms to catch her up in an embrace. “My daughter! I’m so happy to see you’re okay. Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m a little shaken up, but I feel fine now, Daddy,” she told him confidently.

“Good, good.” Prince Phil let Amelia down. “As you can see, we will be very busy today. So I will need you to stay on the castle grounds while I--”

“--But Daddy, I--” Amelia started.

“--No buts, Amelia. You’ve been working too hard as it is. There will be plenty for you to do later. You need to rest up before you’re next trip!” he sternly reminded her.

Her father’s words were laden with concern, and Amelia could see the fear behind his eyes. It was obvious he was quite shaken up himself.

“Yes, Daddy,” she obediently replied.

“All right then,” he said more gently. “Breakfast has been laid out in the family dining room. I’m afraid I won’t be joining you this morning, my dear, so don’t wait for me.”

“Yes, Daddy.” Amelia did a small curtsy and slowly made her way out of the throne room, into the grand hallway.

Audrey followed closely behind, not bothering to say anything to the disappointed princess until they were out of earshot. “He’s right, you know. You’re too drained right now to be of much help.”

Amelia could hear the low drone of an adviser echo against the walls, making her feel more and more frustrated with each second. “There has to be something I can do.”

The handmaid let out an all-knowing sigh. “Just keep yourself out of trouble, and you’ll be doing your father a big favor.”

Amelia’s head dropped. “I know.”

It was true the past year had taken so much out of her. Stress was the reason she insisted on having a week off before her birthday. Last night was the first night she’d gotten a decent night’s sleep in three months.

Amelia’s concentration had been severely scattered over that time, and she could have sworn she offended at least a couple of dukes and a marquess somewhere along the line. If this whole campaign were just about her, it would not have mattered so much, but the future of another country was riding on it.

_I was never this worn out while traveling with Miss Lina. And Mr. Zelgadis was always there…_

Audrey went on ahead to open the dining hall door, which broke that thought. “I’ll be upstairs cleaning up the mess in your room. Meet me there when you’re done.”

Amelia lifted her head. “But Miss Audrey, we have _all day_ to do that. Can you at least have breakfast with me?”

Audrey lifted a brow. “All right. I probably should just so I can keep an eye on you.” The edge of her mouth curled into sly smile.

Amelia made a face and entered the hall feeling a little better. She would take being over-mothered by Audrey over sitting around by herself feeling useless any day.

~~~~~

After waiting three hours for a refund on their tickets, Gourry made a suggestion that they help clean up the mess left by the earthquake. With a little help from their new acquaintance, Lina grudgingly agreed. They picked up debris, performed numerous recovery spells, while Gourry helped calm the fussier kids, lifted temporary support beams into place inside the more severely damaged buildings, and rescued a few people trapped inside their homes.

The last person they rescued was a rather foul-tempered old woman with an annoying small dog that Lina at first thought was a rat, and she tried to kill it with a fireball. Gourry did his best to keep her Dragon Slave and temper at bay, while the old lady threw a bunch of insults and objects at the sorceress for attacking her dog and blowing out one of her walls.

That evening, every inn and tavern in the port city was packed to the gills. Lina, Gourry and Torrin had to settle on an open-air restaurant, which was also packed but still had room and food to spare.

After the day she had, Lina was already irritated, when she found out she could only have two servings of everything and that it will take a while before her order was ready. Luckily, she was too drained physically and magically to do anything except call the waiter a bunch of nasty names, borrowing a few from the ‘old bat’ she helped earlier.

She sat down in a huff when she finished and grabbed one of the glasses of water that was brought to their table. Her tired eyes followed the waiter’s back as he took off.

“You know,” Torrin spoke up, “I don’t think he’s coming back after what you just said.”

“Oh, shove it!” Lina bit down on her straw and blew bubbles.

The dragon turned to Gourry. “Seriously, how do you put up with her?”

Gourry opened his mouth to reply.

“Gourry, if you answer that, I swear I’ll use every bit of my strength to Dragon Slave you into _next week!_ ” the sorceress threatened.

“Listen,” Torrin’s voice rose, “I think I’ve been more than patient with you Miss _Lina_. So would you _please_ cut it out and cool it!”

“So, you _do_ have an attitude. And I thought you were just a big stiff, _Egan_.” Lina’s eyes narrowed. “And I just realized something.”

Torrin crossed his arms over his chest. “What?”

“Your voice,” she pointed out. “Your accent slipped in there for a second. I thought the way you pronounced your words sounded a bit too forced. Why do you hide it?”

“My clan originated from the southern desert.” Torrin allowed his accent to come through this time. “Our native language is the nomadic tongue. During my travels, I found that most who live on this peninsula do not trust desert people, or anyone who talks like them.”

“Nah, I think that’s just from the fact you act like you’re hiding something,” Lina retorted.

_That’s it!_ The dragon started to get up.

Gourry, who had been watching the two, felt the need to intervene. “Now, wait a minute Mr. Eagle.”

“Its _Egan_.” The accent was gone again. “And I’m sorry Mr. Gourry, but if Miss Lina wishes for my help and avoid waiting for another ship, I suggest that she pick up a few manners.”

Just as Torrin turned to leave, Lina muttered something just loud enough for him to hear.

Losing his last nerve, he whirled around to confront her again only to come face to face with Gourry, who had an unusually strained smile on his face.

“Now look, Mr. Dragon, we’ve all had a rough day, and we’re all tired and cranky. Let’s just sit down and have a drink.” Gourry had gone into protection mode and put a firm grip on Torrin’s shoulder to let him know he was serious.

The dragon took a deep breath, and with an equally strong grip, removed the swordsman’s hand while his eyes locked onto Gourry’s in a steady gaze. The fact that Gourry felt the need to step in indicated that even he felt worn down by today’s events.

“There’s no need to worry,” Torrin reassured him, then turned to Lina. “I just don’t to waste my time here. I could leave right this moment, now that I know where to look. This isn’t exactly a vacation for me.”

She continued to glare at him above her glass. “I take it you don’t exactly like taking orders from Milgazia?”

“We may be close, but we don’t always see eye to eye on things,” he said.

“Is there something about this little trip you’re not happy about?” Lina’s interest piqued, her temper finally beginning to subside.

“As for the intention of this trip, Lord Milgazia has his heart in the right place, but I worry about how the clans would react if I’m successful,” the dragon said, lightly shaking his head in disapproval.

“Worried about what?” she asked.

“That will depend on what your friend decides,” answered Torrin. “It’s not Miss Ul Copt I’m worried about.”

“Would you quit beating around the bush already!” Lina huffed. “What the hell do you want with Filia?!”

Torrin leaned down on the table as a means to keep himself calm. He was told not to give any details to any one he meets about his mission, but seeing as he already pushed it too far, and his own doubts have grown to the point to where he could no longer keep it to himself, he might as well tell.

“I am supposed to ask Miss Ul Copt to come back with me to Dragon’s Peak _with_ the Ancient dragon in her care.”

~~~~~

Amelia sat on edge of the large fountain in the middle of the main courtyard, staring up at the evening sky. The orange and pink glow lining on the clouds above were growing faint, and the first stars of the night twinkled through them. The princess took a deep breath, inhaling the scents of the surrounding trees and gardens. Birds were chirping to each other about their day while finding a place to roost.

She had been longing for a day like this, but not under such circumstances. Amelia wished Lina and the others were already here, despite their destructive tendencies. She smiled thoughtfully, wondering what they were doing right this minute.

The evening wind sighed with her. Amelia’s light blue evening dress slowly billowed up around her.

_I hope Mr. Zelgadis is all right._

If she could pick just one person to see at that moment, it would definitely be the chimera. During their last conversation a few months ago, Amelia wanted to express her concern but held back, knowing Zelgadis already made up his mind to continue his quest.

She also held back expressing certain feelings because of it.

Amelia looked down at her shoes, feeling even more useless than she did that morning. If she could not help Zelgadis with a cure, then at least she wanted to try to be source of comfort for him as a friend…and possibly more.

The princess giggled and blushed, realizing what she thought came straight out of one of the romance novels she had been reading, though it had not been the first time it happened. “Maybe Miss Audrey’s right. My brain’s so far gone, I’m beginning to act like a helpless maiden in a love story! Mr. Zelgadis would never go for _that!_ ”

“I’m not so sure about that, Amelia.”

Startled, Amelia turned to see Audrey making her way around the fountain towards the princess. 

“Though he doesn’t admit it, Mr. Zelgadis acts like a hopeless romantic. At least I think so. And I’m glad you’re finally admitting I’m right for once!” The handmaiden folded her hands neatly in front of her.

“T-that’s not what I meant!” Amelia protested, still blushing. “I just wish I could help him somehow.”

The handmaid was not buying it. “Could’ve fooled me. Unless you were thinking of helping him as a _woman_.”

Amelia looked down in embarrassment

“What are you so shy about?” Audrey asked. “You’re old enough to understand, right? And I _know_ Mr. Zelgadis certainly--”

“--That’s enough, Miss Audrey.” The princess’ hands clenched.

“--I mean, even though his body’s made out of rock, seeing how well he’s built, he must’ve had at least a couple of girlfr--”

Amelia jumped up. “That’s _enough!_ ”

She did not want to hear anymore. It was embarrassing enough to have such conversations in her head.

“Calm down, Amelia!” Audrey huffed. “And by the way, dinner is ready, and your father will not be joining you. He’s stuck in another meeting that will probably go late into the night.”

Amelia unclenched her fists but kept her head down. “All right.”

She followed her handmaid out of the courtyard. There was only a faint glow in the sky now. The birds and the wind have quieted down and were settling in for the night.

Just before they went inside, Audrey stopped.

“You know,” her voice was soft, “I understand you can’t help what you feel, and I understand that they can be a great inconvenience considering your position as a future ruler,” she turned her head towards Amelia, “But if you don’t say something, you’ll regret it.”

“Miss Audrey.” Amelia searched for her handmaid’s eyes, the glow coming from the entrance as her only light. They looked stormy again.

Audrey then turned around and went inside quietly. Amelia hesitated for a moment before following suit silently wondering about her sudden change in attitude.

~~~~~

In the bright late morning sunshine, Filia strolled through the town market with her large wicker basket, picking up groceries and listening in on conversations for any bit of news.

Despite another restless night with Val, she felt rather upbeat and dressed to match her mood. She kept her hair in a braid tied with a big pink bow, and wore a long pink and white flower print cotton shift dress, with elbow length sleeves that had a simple ruffle at the end. A simple, front laced pink bodice was worn on top. The outfit was a thank you gift from her neighbor Mrs. Gillet, who was a seamstress, for granting a big favor. To complete it, Filia wore her usual white boots.

The lively crowd was buzzing about the events of last night. There was no major damage done, and their sister town that stood by the shore only suffered a minor tidal wave after the quake, enough to maybe wash their streets. But the question everyone was asking was not about a common quake, but about the unusual sound that preceded it. Apparently, the dragoness was not the only one who heard it, and like her, they all thought it was thunder or gunfire at first.

Filia wondered if something like a volcano exploded somewhere, but the closest active one was hundreds of miles away. It was the only thing she could think of that could have been loud enough and come from a long distance.

_Either that, or the battle between Ceifeed and Shabranigdu has started up again,_ the dragoness pondered in jest, _which would be impossible of course._

Her body began to shiver, not because of that thought, but a familiar unpleasant tingling was crawling up her spine at that moment.

A monster was lurking nearby.

Filia’s back stiffened. She did her best to keep her cool as the feeling grew stronger and picked up her pace. Weaving through the crowd, Filia could not shake the sense of a presence trailing behind her. The tingling was beginning to make her hands shake.

She was about ready to break into a dead run, when a hand firmly grip her shoulder from behind, which made her yelp and drop her basket.

Another hand caught the basket. “Well now, dear Filia, isn’t this a pleasant surprise!”

“What do you want, Xellos!” Filia snapped.

The monster gave a smile that seemed to radiate onto the dragoness’ back, making her shake even more. Her irritation made a delightful snack for him.

“Not happy to see me?” Xellos lifted her basket.

“Why should I be? You’ve yet to learn how to greet someone properly!” Filia, still facing away from him, took back the basket in a surprisingly gentle manner.

He swooped in front of her, still smiling. “But that’s nowhere near as fun. I wouldn’t want my favorite dragoness to think I’m boring.”

After a six month absence, Xellos began popping up whenever he pleased, and as soon as Val hatched a year ago, his visits became more frequent. Oddly enough, he went from using thinly veiled sarcasm and outright insulting her to grossly exaggerated sweet comments. According to Filia, it was not exactly an improvement.

“Boring would be a step up. I’m in no mood for tricks today.” She huffed and turned to walked in the other direction.

As usual, her dismissal did not deter the monster. He merely swooped to Filia’s side and locked arms with her. “Dear Filia, I understand you’ve had a rough night with little Val and all, but--”

Filia yanked her arm away. “--So you _were_ here last night!”

“Not to seem unflattering, but I wasn’t here for you,” he said offhandedly.

“Then why were you here?” the dragoness asked suspiciously. “Did it have anything to do with that earthquake?”

Xellos scratched his head. “Now that you mention it…”

Filia raised a fist. “All right, Monster! _Spill it!_ ”

“Something fell from the sky,” he said simply.

“What?” She blinked and lowered her fist.

“Something fell from the sky,” he repeated. “And whatever it is, there is a great deal of power behind it. I didn’t feel anything, however, my lord sensed it coming from another world.”

“Another world?” Filia echoed. “Where did it fall?”

“Somewhere in the Desert of Destruction.” Xellos answered, “But before it reached the ground it exploded.”

She gasped. “W-wait a minute! I-it can’t be!”

The monster sensed the shift in her mood from lingering anger and curiosity to fear. He watched her sink to the ground.

“Oh no…” Filia’s eyes went wide. “Not… Not Dark Star!”

Her reaction made Xellos oddly uncomfortable. “I doubt its Dark Star. Lord Beastmaster said the object radiated of something equivalent to Holy Magic.”

“Oh, Thank goodness.” The Dragoness let out a slow sigh of relief and closed her eyes for a moment, letting her fear subside.

He continued. “I went to the site, but it looks like the source of the power was either lost in the blast or somehow walked away. I’m suspecting the latter.”

“But how could anyone walk away from a blast so powerful, it sent earthquakes across the sea without even touching the ground?” Filia asked.

“Someone like us, maybe?” He shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out in time.”

_Not a very comforting thought._ Her experience told her a possessor of Holy Magic did not always have benign intentions.

Slowly, she got back on her feet, checking her dress for any dirt. “Well, if there isn’t any more pressing news, I must be going. I have to get back before Val wakes up again.” Filia did her best to sound calm, more to convince herself than Xellos.

Then the monster’s smile broadened as he remembered something. “One more thing, my dear Filia. Someone is looking for you.”

Before she registered what was said, he phased out of sight.


	3. Dropping in Unexpected - Or Not

# ~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~

## Chapter Three: Dropping in Unexpected (Or Not)

In the middle of the night, Filia awoke to the sound of Val’s cries and got up to feed him. She took him down to the kitchen on the second floor and pulled the bench seat out from under the dinner table to sit on. As always, Val was clawing at her nightgown with anticipation.

“Okay, just a moment.” Filia pulled him way so she could pull down the left side of her top. “Now, hold still.” She touched the little Ancient dragon’s head.

A faint glow enveloped Val as his body shape shifted. His wings became feathery, and his scales were replaced with human skin, except for the tail. The snout shrunk into a nose and ridges on his head disappeared into sprouting teal hair.

When the transformation was complete Filia removed her hand, revealing a pair of sharp golden eyes blinking up at her, and pudgy little fingers instead of claws were trying to pull her nightgown down further. She brought Val up to her left breast and used the blue blanket he was wrapped in to cover herself, in case Jillas or Gravos decide to come down for a late night snack.

Filia had gotten used to the lack of sleep that accompanied raising a hatchling, somehow making up for it with afternoon naps after lunchtime. It was amazing how lively she felt, even though this was supposed to be the most vulnerable time for the mother, as well as the hatchling. She remembered the elders telling her about how similar the growth process of each race of dragons were, and that every dragon gained the majority of their powers feeding from their mother during the first few years of life.

Motherhood was taken seriously because the female’s powers were severely limited and needed extra protection of fellow clan members, namely the father, brothers, uncles, grandfathers and any other male family members. Sometimes, the other females would take over nursing if something happened or if the mother was too ill.

It just hit Filia what she was doing was extremely dangerous.

Looking around the cozy kitchen illuminated by moonlight, the dragoness wondered if she will be able to protect Val and give him the love he truly deserved. That moment when she thought Dark Star had returned earlier that day shook her to her core. She had no clan or family members to help her, and as strong and clever as Gravos and Jillas were, there were a lot of things in this world they would be helpless against. Even Lina and her friends could only be lucky so many times.

“This must be the first time you’ve failed to notice my presence, my dear Filia.”

“Xellos!” Filia gasped. Her free hand automatically grabbed the blanket covering her chest.

Xellos floated above the table, head propped up in his hands as if he were actually on it. “Don’t worry. He was already snacking when I came in.” He pointed to Val.

“If you don’t mind, this _isn’t_ a very good time for a visit!” the dragoness said. She felt Val pull away and fuss.

“Yes, I can see that.” The monster’s grin was as wide as ever. He watched Filia coax the hatchling back, fondly noting how motherly she looked. _Not that I’m into that sort of thing._

After calming down Val, Filia returned her attention to her unwanted guest. “If you don’t have anything significant to say right now, I suggest you leave. I’m not comfortable with having an audience while I breast-feed.”

Xellos let out a forced sigh and made like he was about to leave, taking his time, when…

“Wait a minute…” Something clicked in Filia’s head. “Who’s looking for me?” she asked curiously. She half expected him to either give her a round-about answer that was not _really_ an answer in order to irritate her.

“Someone sent by Lord Milgazia. He wants to make an offer,” the monster said, surprisingly direct.

_Lord Milgazia._ There was not a dragon in the world who did not know him. _What does he want with me?_

Suspicious, Filia asked, “What kind of offer?”

Xellos put himself in a lounging position. He fingered his staff as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. “He wants to ask you to come live with his clan.”

Though a little surprised, she waved it off with a little laugh. “There’s no way I can do that. I know I have no clan of my own anymore, but I have a life here. I have Val. I mean, who would take care of him anyw--”

“--He wants you to bring the kid too.”

That hit the dragoness like a ton of bricks. An Ancient dragon amid a clan of Golden dragons? _THAT’S INSANE!_

Xellos sensed the sudden change in Filia’s emotions like her heart was dropping through a mine shaft with a great big _WOOSH!_ Again it felt oddly uncomfortable.

She stared at him for a moment waiting for him to tell her he was kidding. As much as she detested him, she never known him to tell a direct lie…except for that one time…

“If you don’t believe me, just wait until Lina gets here,” the monster continued on. “The messenger is traveling with her as we speak. It may be as soon as tomorrow depending on how fast he can fly.”

_Fly?_ Filia snapped out of it and looked away. “I can’t go.”

“Oh? And I thought you wanted to keep your adopted son safe.” Xellos did not have to say anything.

He knew her dilemma and counted on it. It was the reason why he was here. _An unnecessary precaution,_ Xellos thought, but he could not directly disobey an order from his mistress.

Besides, it allowed him to spend more time with his favorite diversion. Lina was a close second.

“I-I do. But I don’t want him to grow up around those who might despise him, or hurt him!” There was _not one thing_ Filia would not do for Val, but a part of her knew being part of a clan can be far more beneficial than shouldering all the responsibility on her own. “What am I supposed to do?” Her voice was small and uncertain.

“With all honesty, I haven’t the slightest clue.” Xellos soaked in the uncertainty with relish, enjoying the feeling of her churning emotions like drinking a chocolate shake.

It was much better than that free-fall feeling from a few moments before. _Strange, fear was normally one of my favorite things to leech off of._

The dragoness’ blue eyes turned back to him full of worry. “What should I do if they try to force me to come?”

_Interesting,_ Xellos thought, _she’s asked me twice already._ Anything concerning Val made Filia do strange things.

“Hmm? Well, if you want, my dear Filia, I can hold them off if they try,” he teased.

Filia bit back a yelp of protest. “That’s the last thing I want!” She turned away again. “I don’t understand why I’m asking _you_ anyway.”

_That‘s more like it,_ the monster thought. “That really hurt. I’m not entirely insensitive, you know.”

“You barely have any feelings as it is,” Filia retorted. “And why are you so interested in this?”

Xellos lifted a finger to his lips. “I’m sure you can figure that one out.”

And he phased out, leaving Filia glaring at the spot where he was floating a moment before. 

She shook her head over and over with a nervous smile on her face. _This couldn’t be true. It had to be some sort of trick he was playing._

Filia mentally kicked herself for letting Xellos get to her like that. He knew her greatest weakness was Val, and yet, he was not a liar. That aside, it was becoming clear the monster’s willingness to give out information, fact or otherwise, was not adding up.

What was he gaining from this? _I can’t take what he says too lightly._

Val pulled away from her again, this time to let her know he was done.

Filia redressed herself and lifted the little hatchling to her shoulder to burp him. “I wouldn’t worry about that old monster, Hon. Nobody will tell us what to do!”

~~~~~

_Sand._

A word he vaguely remembered but that was what came to mind as he practically swam through it. Each grain penetrated his… _clothing. I guess that’s what they are._

_Pain._

Another word he was not quite familiar with. There was a great deal more he was unable to figure out as well. Like, how the _hell_ did he end up here?

The only thing he can clearly recall was a long-lasting _sinking_ feeling, _maybe it was called falling,_ and a… _light_ …that denied him _sight_ accompanied by, what he believed was called _heat and…pain was it?_

All he could _hear_ was a continuous deafening roar. _That must be…wind. Storm…of sand. Nothing but sand._

_Heat._

He could not _see_ anything because the sand would be _painful_ to his… _eyes_ …if he opened them.

It finally came to him. _This is a Desert. I’m on a…planet? That heat. It was from… falling from space. Somebody was with me before I fell._

They were like a part of him for a long time. He _hated_ it at first and _fought_ to be _free_ of them. Then he got used to it. They were trying to do something to him.

He must have _agreed_ to it because he _stopped fighting. Why?_

He _tripped_ over something and fell into more sand.

_A dune._

Something was rising in his _chest…Anger._

Lifting himself out of the dune, he let out a low growl and turned to unleash his anger on whatever it was that brought him down. He _picked_ it up, thinking that it was a… _rock_ …but there were strange _ridges_ on it like… _teeth?_

He dared to open his eyes.

It was a… _face…no skin…a skull._ He felt heat coming off of it, like something made it very hot to the point that the skin that covered the skull was… _burned._

_Was it the same heat I felt earlier? Or was it from an…explosion. Did I…explode after falling…into the…atmosphere…of this planet?_

That should have… _destroyed_ …him and his… _body. This…shell…I wear._

Nothing was making any sense.

He dropped the skull and got up to continue… _walking. I must walk._ That was what he was doing when he got here, so he guessed he should keep doing so until he found the end of this desert.

~~~~~

Zelgadis, with his wonderful luck, lost his footing in the sand and took a huge tumble into a large hole that had not been there when he passed through the area a couple days before. This hole went much deeper than just the fine grains that layered over the bedrock foundation of this part of the desert. His body bumped into giant pieces of that bedrock along the long way down to the bottom.

_“GREAT! JUST GREAT!”_ Zelgadis, with nothing really hurt but his pride, got up and bellowed as loud as he could into the howling wind along with a great deal of obscenities. 

At the corner of his eye, he caught something at his feet half buried in a pile of sand that had built up in the middle of the hole. He suddenly stopped yelling when he recognized the shape of an unconscious woman.

_Oh shit, this can’t be good._ Zelgadis kneeled down to dig her out.

As he did, he noticed the hole was not really a hole, more like a small ravine stretching out into the distance in the same direction where the explosion took place yesterday morning.

_Strange._

The woman was even stranger. No scratches or bruises, but very warm.

_How long has she been laying here?_ the chimera mused.

She was lying in the middle of what he had mistaken for just a hole in clean, well-made clothes made of fabric he had never seen or felt before. Even her long silvery blue hair looked as if she had just washed it, aside from the sand covering part of it.

When he was done getting her out, Zelgadis gently shook her. “Hey, can you hear me? Are you okay?”

The woman gave a very weak moan in response.

_That was encouraging._ One advantage of being at the bottom of the ravine was the wind was not as loud making it easier to hear, and it did not blow sand into your mouth whenever you tried to talk.

He shook her again with a firmer hand. “Are you okay? If you can hear me, can you give me your name? My name is Zelgadis Greywards.”

Her eyelashes fluttered but refused to open enough for Zelgadis to see the color of her eyes. “Ze…l…” She moaned a little louder.

He felt her try to move like she was attempting to put herself in a more comfortable position.

“Don’t move!” Zelgadis commanded her not too harshly and made his point by holding down one of her arms.

She complied.

“Just wait right here. I’ll find a way to get you out.” _I hope._ He sized up the slopes surrounding them.

Flying in this weather would be out of the question. Spotting a possible exit further down the ravine, the chimera set aside his pack and took off in that direction.

Zelgadis had walked only a couple dozen paces when he heard a shriek from behind, then, _“NO! NOT THAT WAY!”_

~~~~~

The first thing she heard was someone cursing, and the first thing she thought was, _Well that’s not very nice!_

Not that she a had clean mouth herself, but still…

Her first attempts to move were unsuccessful, so she allowed herself to remain limp. Every limb felt like a ton of lead. _Can‘t be. They feel like human limbs!_

And her head felt very fuzzy. Obviously, she had changed form at some point, yet she did not remember why in the universe she would do that in mid-flight. 

Then she wondered where _He_ was…

She barely had time to register that sickening feeling increasing in the pit of her stomach when what she believed was sand began to move around her.

Someone was digging. Hopefully it was a good Samaritan trying to get her out.

“Hey, can you hear me? Are you okay?”

_OF COURSE I CAN!_ She yelled and realized her own lips were not moving. _Oh great._ Only a weak groan came out.

The man shook her harder.

_Was he doing that before?_

“Are you okay? If you can hear me, can you give me your name? My name is Zelgadis Greywards.”

She opened her eyes just enough to see the dark blur hovering above her. “Ze…l…” _Zelgadis?_ Relieved it was not anyone she was familiar with, she attempted to move again with more success.

But the mysterious man held her down. “Don’t move!”

_Fine! I won’t!_ She mentally pouted.

“Just wait right here. I’ll find a way to get you out.”

_What? Where are we?_ She slowly moved her hands around.

The man did not seem to notice because she saw his form get up and take something off. Just as she managed to open her eyes all the way he was already walking away from her with great care as if he were observing something.

A sudden surge of energy ran through her body and brain, causing her to recount recent events and bolt up into a sitting position.

She was sitting in a crater. No, a ravine.

_Wait._ The ravine did not look natural. _Did I crash? I did. But not until I…_

Her thoughts raced. She fell through the atmosphere holding on to _Him._ The heat was unbearable, but she knew she could not let go until she was done. Then there was the explosion, and _He_ was knocked out of her grasp.

_I caused this,_ she thought referring to the gash in the earth, _which means_ He _would be somewhere at the other end._

She snapped back to the present and saw the strange man heading in _that_ direction.

She shrieked as she jumped to her feet and yelled at him, _“NO! NOT THAT WAY!”_

With lightening speed she was on top of him in a second knocking the breath out of his lungs.

~~~~~

Zelgadis face-planted into the sand and bedrock without ever having the chance to turn around. Even with his rock-hard body, the woman managed to squeeze every bit of life and breath out of him. He twitched, desperately gasping for air to form words, wishing very much to hurt her right now.

“Oh.” The woman realized what she had done and immediately got off the chimera. “I’m so sorry! I completely spazzed out for a second there!” She let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her head.

“Who…the…hell…are…you!” Zelgadis took a large breath for each word as he slowly sat up glaring at her.

“Oh.” The woman replied again, like she had forgotten something at the store. “My name is…” she cut herself off and laughed nervously again. “Well, I’m actually known by many names.”

“Then just pick one!” Zelgadis snarled as he removed his mask. “Unless you want me to start calling you Crazy Desert Lady!”

“Okay…Um, well…” She still needed to find _Him_ , but at the same time, she did not want to be _His_ target.

Giving out a name _He_ would easily recognize would not be very smart, so with that in mind, she tried to come up with something.

“Ali…lyssa. Alyssa…Can…Kain.” She cringed at her mistake. “Alyssa Kain. _but_ -just-call-me…Alyssa. I’m not very fond of my ‘last name’.”

Zelgadis rose an eyebrow at her. “Okay. You can call me Zelgadis.”

“Zelgadis,” Alyssa repeated. Her eyes fixed on his face for the first time, noting the blue color of his skin and silvery purple strands of hair falling over his face.

The staring made the chimera uncomfortable, so he covered his face again and stood up to get his pack still sitting in the sand where he had found the girl. “Now that we’ve gotten that straighten out, and you’re up and moving around, let’s get up this slope.”

_That’s a little inconvenient._ “Can’t we just fly out of here? -- _Oop!_ ” She covered her mouth. _Nice going, idiot! Of course actual humans can’t fly! Way to blow your cover!_

“Are you crazy! Not in this sandstorm!” Zelgadis gestured overhead as he shouldered his pack.

Alyssa clapped her hands together. “Oh, so you can fly, too!”

She was beginning to grate his nerves. “Yes. I can. But not in this--”

“--Well, how about I do it then!” Alyssa grabbed the chimera’s hands and wrapped them around her waist from behind. “Now hold on tight!”

Blushing at her sudden boldness, Zelgadis tried to reason with her. “W-wait! You don’t know what you’re doing! And do you have any idea which way to go?”

_Any direction away from_ Him _would be just fine with me,_ Alyssa thought. “Just point me the way!”

“Umm, north?” He pointed in the general direction, still not completely convinced it was going to work.

“Alright! I’ll take us to the first settlement in that direction.” Alyssa closed her eyes and let the _other_ part of her take over.

_Search coordinates for nearest settlement. Searching… Searching…_

“But the nearest settlement lies on the northern edge of the desert!” Zelgadis argued. “It takes two weeks in good weather to reach it on foot from here!”

_Searching…Locking on coordinates… Estimating distance… Adjusting trajectory for wind resistance…_

“Are you listening to me? Just take us over to the next mesa if you can!”

_Psi-barrier operational._ Alyssa’s eyes opened. _Power engines…_

Zelgadis saw they were glowing green. _What magic is this?_

He felt her body vibrate as the air around them became charged with her energy. “Don’t try to strain yours- _AAAALLLFF!!!_ ”

They shot off into the air at breakneck speed.

~~~~~

Lina, Gourry, and Torrin spotted the shimmering green landmass on the horizon in the seemingly endless morning sunlight. _Egan certainly lived up to the Dimos reputation!_ Lina thought.

The Dimos dragons, though not the biggest in stature nor the most powerful magically, were known for their great physical strength and speed.

The trip took only a few hours, by evidence of the sun remaining in the same spot the whole time. Torrin barely broke a sweat flying twice the distance that Filia had in their race against time to stop Dark Star. Compared to that ride, this trip was rather pleasant. Torrin even cast a small barrier spell to reduce wind resistance, and to keep his passengers from flying off his back.

_If only we could’ve stopped at that island,_ Lina inwardly pouted for the hundredth time.

But as the West Lands grew larger in the distance, she began to perk up. If things went smoothly with Filia, and smoothly was being used loosely for reasons concerning the conversation from the night before, they will be able to visit the island on their way back.

When Torrin had revealed to Lina and Gourry his mission, all the anger the sorceress built up that day left her body, and she sat still in her chair in stunned silence for a full minute before bursting out, _WITH THE ANCIENT DRAGON IN HER CARE?! HAS MILGAZIA GONE MAD?!_

There was no need for an explanation why that could spell trouble.

Torrin had said he was thinking along the same lines, but at the same time he had understood why his friend was so concerned about the young dragoness and proceeded to explain why.

Lina was convinced Filia would never agree to the request because she believed the dragoness was much stronger than most gave her credit for. The mission was surely to be a lost cause. Even so, she wondered why on earth Torrin was willing to go through with it in the first place.

They were now close enough to distinguish each building and house of the port city they were heading for. Torrin flapped his grayish silver wings and reduced his speed to a gentle glide in order to search along the shoreline for a decent place to land. With the grace of a swan, he eventually settled on an empty pier, careful to not draw too much attention. Most of the fishermen and trade ships were gone by now so it was not very difficult.

“All Right!” Lina slid off and stretched her arms as high as she could. “Time to get some grub! C’mon Gourry!” She bolted down the pier.

“Hey, wait up!” Gourry called cheerfully after her, glad to be on solid ground again.

Lina glanced back to call the swordsman a funny name and noticed Torrin standing at the end of the pier glowering at her. “Aren’t ya comin’ Egan?”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Torrin asked.

Lina waved him off. “You can go on ahead! Filia’s up the hill!” She pointed westward toward another large collection of buildings. “She owns a mace and pottery shop! The only one in town!”

“Right,” Torrin huffed to himself as he watched the humans run off to hunt for a restaurant. “It’s probably for the best, considering how much those two eat.”

He had the honor of refereeing one of their eating contests before they left. _I, on the other hand, can wait for a meal a while longer._

The Dimos eyed the town settled on top of the western hill. “Time to get this over with.”

~~~~~

Filia was exhausted from helping young Janna set up her finished pieces in the shop all morning. They had changed the display at least a dozen times, and it did not help that all the other girls happened to come in the same day to work on their own pottery and had to have their say.

That left Gravos in charge of taking care of customers while Jillas oversaw the cooking and watching over Val. The dragoness was looking forward to closing the shop so she could take a nice long lunch before a small shipment from artists of their sister town arrived.

As hectic as it was for Filia, it helped her take mind off of things. After all the extra hard work they had put in, there was a festival to look forward to, kicking off the tourist season about ready to shift into high gear. It was the reason why they had been so busy with local artists lately.

“Okay, this will do it.” Filia nudged a jar almost as big as herself into place. “I can’t spend any more time on this, Janna. So, take it or leave it!”

She gestured to the display with her arms comically imitating a showgirl. Gravos could be heard snickering from behind.

“I think I’ll take it.” Janna held back a few giggles. The young artist was ready to take a break herself. “Do you think maybe you can stand there the rest of the day?” she said as she flipped her two long brunette braids over her shoulders.

The dragoness smiled at the girl. “If it brings any more business, I just might consider it. Gravos?”

“Yes, Boss?” Gravos replied.

“Hang the ‘Closed’ sign! It’s time to eat!” Filia took off her tan gloves and apron she wore to protect herself while she was near the kilns earlier, revealing her sage green sleeveless strap dress this time with a built-in bodice and an ivy print on the skirt, bought from Ms. Gillet’s shop.

She adored the woman’s dresses for their durability and simple beauty. Filia proceeded to the washroom located in a hallway in the back of the store to clean the sweat and dirt from her face and arms.

A minute later one of the other girls called from the back of the store. “Miss Filia! Somebody’s at the side door!”

The dragoness cocked an eye brow at herself in the mirror above the washroom sink. “The side door?”

Putting down her towel she stepped out into the hallway. A curly red-haired girl stood by the door leading to the kilns.

“Who is it, Kelly?” Filia asked.

“Don’t know,” Kelly shrugged. “Looks like a nobleman. He asked specifically for you. Can‘t understand why he would use the same door we use to take our trash out.”

Still puzzled, Filia walked to the other side of the hall were the side door was and opened it.

~~~~~

Torrin stood in the side alley, a little dumbstruck at who opened the door.

He expected the long blonde hair, the blue eyes female Golds were well known for, the slender frame, and the pointed ears. But he did not expect a Golden dragoness with all those common qualities in a plain dress and hair tied up in a matching bow looking very practical, and yet very beautiful.

“May I help you?” Filia asked, a little disturbed by the stranger’s gawking stare.

“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. I-I…um…I just…” Torrin shook her head. _Get your head together!_

“Is there something I could help you with?” Filia asked in a firmer tone while remaining cordial and businesslike as if talking to a customer, which in her mind the man most likely was.

Torrin willed himself not to get distracted by a pretty face.

“There was a ‘Closed’ sign on the front door, and your neighbor said I could come around back…” He took a deep calming breath. _Here we go._ “My name is Torrin Ru Egan of the Kataart Mountains. I come with a message from Lord Milgazia.”

Filia stiffened. “Oh.”

The dragoness remembered what Xellos said: _If you don’t believe me, just wait until Lina gets here. The messenger is traveling with her as we speak. It may be as soon as tomorrow depending on how fast he can fly,_ meaning the messenger was most likely a dragon.

The young man standing in front of her wore robes fitting of a dragon, but no Lina or Gourry in sight. She was expecting, _and hoping,_ when the time came Lina would barge into her shop demanding food and deflate the situation. She very much wanted a fellow female around for extra support.

Nevertheless, Filia straightened her back even more and found her resolve. “I know about your request, and my answer is no.”


	4. Beware of Doorways and Nightmares

# ~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~

## Chapter Four: Beware of Doorways and Nightmares

It was a very short, clear answer, but what confused Torrin more than anything was how the hell did she find out? “H-how did you…?”

“I have my ways,” said Filia, holding her ground, “but that’s my final answer. And if Lord Milgazia doesn’t accept it, he can come here to ask me himself if he wants.”

He knew it would come to this. Still, Torrin felt he must make an honest effort. “Please, Miss Filia, if you would at least let me explain why--”

“--There’s no need to explain.” Filia turned to go back inside.

“Wait!” He moved to block the door before she could close it, but as he stepped through the door frame, a huge jolt of negative energy shot up his spine.

As she turned back around, Filia noticed Torrin’s body freeze in place and his eyes widen in shock.

“What is it?” she asked curiously.

“Y-you can’t feel it?” he replied in a shaky voice.

The vibration was getting stronger.

“Feel what?” Filia put her hands on her hips in irritation.

Then an answer came from behind her. “I believe it’s me he’s talking about.”

Instantly, she knew who it was. Filia quickly turned around but found her view blocked by a deep blue cloak. Torrin stood in front of her in a protective stance, with his right hand gripping something behind his back. She could only guess it was some sort of weapon she did not notice before. 

Xellos stood in the middle of the hallway, staff in hand, grinning as widely as ever. “As I expected, you’re right on time, Mr. Egan.”

Torrin’s grip on his weapon tightened. “What are you doing here, _Monster?!_ ” He did not care about his accent slipping out this time.

“Xellos!” Filia stepped out from behind. “You should leave right now! I don’t need any trouble!” The last thing she wanted was the both of them starting a fight in the middle of her shop.

“Dear Filia, there’s no need to worry.” Xellos lifted his hand. “I only wanted to have a nice little chat with the both of you.”

“With you, there’s no such thing as nice!” she retorted as she walked towards the monster.

Torrin grabbed Filia’s shoulder. “Hold on a minute. Why is this monster acting so familiar with you?”

Filia sighed. “Don’t misunderstand. It’s a long story, but we’re not exactly friends.”

“That’s twice you’ve hurt me, Filia.” Xellos put on a mocking expression. “I did warn you of _him_ , didn’t I?” He pointed at Torrin.

The Dimos scowled but decided he was not going to play this game.

He took his hand off Filia’s shoulder and relaxed his stance. “All right, Monster. If you want to talk, _talk!_ ”

“Fine. Since no introductions are needed, I’ll get right to it.” Xellos clapped his hands. “You may have made a good choice in keeping little Val away from the Golden dragons, Filia, but you may need to consider another possible safe haven, at least temporarily.”

_“What?!”_ she squeaked in disbelief. “But, why?”

“And why should we even believe you?” Torrin growled.

“Well, apparently, the entire monster world is scrambling to prepare themselves for something big.” Xellos could feel a wave of uneasiness coming from Filia and soaked it in.

“Is it another war?” she asked nervously.

The monster shrugged. “Maybe. I just came back from the Desert of Destruction. I thought if I tried widening my search around the original blast site, I could at least try to figure out what direction this person or thing went.”

“And did you find something?” asked Filia curiously, still trying to keep herself calm as possible.

“Not only that, I found _two_ things.” Xellos lifted two fingers.

The dragoness blinked in surprise. “There’s two?”

“Going in two different directions. I said I didn’t feel anything before, but when I tried to follow one of them, well, I felt something attempting to repel me.” He levitated, reclining in mid air and sighed. “I didn’t bother to continue, since I wasn’t told to confront or interfere with them.”

“But what if they’re trouble?” Filia had to ask.

“My, my, you’re full of questions aren’t you?” he chided playfully. “I wouldn’t worry, dear Filia. Whoever they are, they’re severely weakened. They might even be on their last legs, and the attempt to repel me might just be a survivor mechanism. I didn’t sense any magic, Holy or otherwise.”

Xellos felt the fear in the dragoness turn to compassion, amused at her fickleness.

“However,” he continued, “It seems everyone else is finally becoming curious, including the remainder of Hellmaster and Gaav’s minions. The two beings themselves might not be of any danger to us, but what magic or abilities they might possess is catching everyone’s interest. And goodness knows what methods they will try to use to get it.”

Filia was imagining a similar incident with the old Val, when he was just a child at the lowest point of his former existence, then Gaav came along and gave him strength, a second chance, and a thirst for revenge.

_This isn’t acceptable_ , she thought.

“Wait.” Torrin was completely lost. “What blast site? What were you looking for?”

The monster sat up crossed legged, still hovering. “Oh, pardon me for my rudeness.” Xellos could read in Torrin’s eyes he was thinking, _Too late_ , but carried on anyway. “Do you know what caused that earthquake from the day before?”

“No,” the Dimos said shortly.

“Well, basically, something fell out of the sky and exploded over the desert, and it was no ordinary explosion,” the monster explained.

Torrin’s eyes widened for a moment, then dismissed it with a turn of his head. “That’s impossible.”

Filia turned to him. “It may sound impossible, but Xellos doesn’t lie. Otherwise, I wouldn’t believe any of it either.”

_Very interesting_ , Xellos mused, _she is actually defending me._ “Dear Filia, I’m flattered! But, she is right. And like you, Mr. Egan, I also don’t disobey an order from my superior, even if I disagree.”

Filia caught the meaning and turned to Torrin again. “You didn’t want me to go?”

Torrin crossed his arms and shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I only did this as a favor. And _Monster_ ,” he addressed Xellos, “I do not want to hear you even _remotely_ compare me to you, even as a form of flattery! Understood?”

“Hatred runs deep, I see.” The monster cracked an eye at him. “I remember Lord Milgazia mentioning your rather short temper towards members of my race. Very much like dear Filia when I first met her.”

He let out a small chuckle while Filia glared at him.

Torrin let out another low growl. The only things that made him lose his patience was Lina Inverse and monsters. Thankfully, the lack of food, flying eight hours straight and taking a long walk afterwards left him feeling subdued, otherwise he would have tried to wring Xellos’ neck by now. _I’m probably a bad match for him anyway, even at my best._

Xellos only widened his grin at the dragon, knowing Torrin would not do anything, even if he could. _Wise choice._

“Now, Filia, I hope you keep what I told you earlier in mind, especially for Val’s sake. It would be a least a little safer, even if it’s with someone like _him_ ,” he jerked a thumb at Torrin who was growling louder every second “than sticking to your own kind or staying here.”

“I understand.” Filia huffed. “Now, would you just go?”

After Xellos phased out of the hall, Torrin gave himself a minute to calm down. “Sorry,” he finally said to Filia, his accent gone again, “I didn’t mean to make you feel uneasy.”

“You didn’t. I’m the one who should apologize, for being so short with you before. Xellos is a real nuisance, but he can be useful at times--” Filia stopped herself.

She had been away from other dragons for so long she did not really think of how another would react to her interacting with a monster so amiably. Even Milgazia, whose clan kept a very cordial relationship with their race, would be shocked.

Of course, she still threw insults around, but it was nothing compared to what she used to do. The way she and Xellos talked to each other a minute ago sounded more like light-hearted banter between friends, it was a little embarrassing.

“About that,” Torrin spoke up after a moment of awkward silence, “you say he’s no friend, but just now he let you know what’s going on with the monster race _and_ expressed concern for your safety.”

“I-I know.” Filia replied softly.

“It’s possible he’s using you somehow. You don’t always have to lie to someone to do that,” he suggested.

“I’ve already thought about that,” she said, her voice still soft. She never stopped thinking about the talk she had with Xellos the night before. “And I’ve concluded that Xellos’ mistress might have some sort of plan for Val. The recent turn of events just proves it.”

_Well, that explains why that monster warned her about me_ , Torrin thought.

“I didn’t really want to admit it before, but why else would Xellos want to hang around me so much now that Val hatched?” There was a grating tone in the dragoness’ voice. “I was always getting onto him for hiding something, even though I couldn’t pinpoint what. Now that I know what it is, I guess I better use it to my advantage.”

Torrin raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure about that?”

“It’s clear they don’t want any harm to come to us,” Filia affirmed.

“Then you might want to think about what you’ll do for extra protection if what that monster says is true.” The Dimos did not like admitting to this. “You won’t stand any chance if all hell breaks loose.”

“Until a couple minutes ago, you were my worst fear,” she replied. “Right now, only Xellos is bothering to show any interest in us. As long as I don’t get involved and keep a safe distance--”

Torrin had to stop her there. She was being too calm about the situation for his comfort. “--Safe? You didn’t notice that monster until he _spoke!_ There’s no such thing as a safe distance when it comes to monsters, especially in your condition!”

“I suppose…” _This was the second time I couldn’t sense Xellos’ presence_ , Filia thought. _I wasn’t expecting my powers to deplete this much so soon._

However, Xellos had yet to lay a hand on her or Val. “But if protecting us is part of their plan, I should--”

“--Listen to yourself!” The Torrin grabbed Filia’s shoulders. “You’re entrusting your life and the life of a helpless hatchling in the hands of monsters! Using them for information is one thing, but assuming they would come to your aid is too much! They were probably counting on you to think so!”

Sudden anger rose in her chest, and she yanked herself out of his grasp.

“I know that! But there’s nothing else I can do! I have no clan, no relatives to turn to, and my own power is drained to a point where I can‘t even _protect_ a helpless hatchling! I can’t even trust my own kind at this point!” She raised her voiced almost to a screech. _“I AM WELL AWARE OF MY SITUATION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”_

Torrin was a little taken aback. He might have underestimated her understanding of what was going on. _Probably shouldn’t have grabbed her._

He flushed slightly at that last thought. There was just something about Filia that made him want to protect her.

An idea came to him just then. “…Well… Would it be too much if I offered to stay for a short while?”

Filia stared at the Dimos in surprise, her anger gone as quickly as it came. “I… Don’t know…” she trailed off.

“Just until we figure something else out. If you’re worried about Lord Milgazia, I can deal with him. He expects me to be gone for a while anyway.”

_Oh boy, Torrin, what are you doing? Lina’s probably going to be staying her for a while too._ The thought made him cringe but he could not leave a defenseless dragoness behind without a plan.

“Well… With Lina and Gourry coming it’ll be a tight fit,” Filia said thoughtfully. “I only have one spare room and bath on the second floor, and I use that bathroom while Jillas and Gravos have the one on the third floor. And I can’t ask Lina to share my room because of Val…”

“We can figure that out later. Right now,” Torrin put a hand over his stomach to stifle its groaning. “Do you have anything to eat?”

~~~~~

Zelgadis braced himself to be bombarded by countless pinpricks of flying sediment, silently cursing himself for not putting up a barrier in time to provide at least some protection for Alyssa, if not for himself. However, he did not feel anything, not even wind blowing in his face.

He opened his eyes and saw a strange thin see-through layer of green enveloping them.

Then he looked down. 

Through the thinning blur of sand, Zelgadis saw they were very high up, almost in the clouds, with the landmass passing quickly and smoothly under them. He only had a couple of minutes to enjoy the view after they exited the storm before Alyssa began her decent.

Straight ahead, were veins of greenery that signaled the end of the desert and a cluster of pueblos with irrigation ditches surrounding them.

“Um, Alyssa? You may want to slow down!” the chimera shouted but couldn’t get a response.

Her eyes still glowed with the same power that shielded them from the elements and were focused on the destination.

_Oh shit, at this speed we’ll crash!_ Zelgadis’ heart thumped against his ribcage so hard it made him sick. He closed his eyes again and prepared for impact.

There was a loud _WOOSH_ and an abrupt change in direction.

Zelgadis had no indication of their speed, except for the odd sinking in his stomach making him feel even more nauseated, that told him they were slowing down. He waited until he felt his feet land gently on the ground before bothering to look, then he immediately let go of Alyssa and bent over, dizzily clinging to his knees and taking in deep breaths.

Alyssa paid no mind to his condition and stretched like she had just taken a brisk walk. “Mmmm, that felt good! Way to warm up my system!”

Zelgadis, regaining his bearing, slowly raised his head. “How did you do that?”

“Hmm?” she smiled innocently.

“How were you able to fly so damn fast?” he rephrased. “Are you a dragon?” _That’s ridiculous. Dragons don’t glow like that! But he had to ask anyway._

Alyssa was confused. “But, dragons don’t exist.”

“I beg to differ.” Zelgadis stood up. _Something’s not right._ “Why were you in the middle of the desert without provisions or protection from the elements? Only a dragon or a similar being could endure desert conditions without either.”

“Well…” her smile turned into a nervous grin. “I’m not a dragon, but I have certain… Powers.”

_Think, Alyssa, think! What do they call people in stories with dragons that can fly like magic?_

“So, you’re a sorceress.” _And a powerful one at that_ , the chimera thought.

“Uh, yeah! That’s it!” Alyssa brightened up. “I usually don’t like bragging about it because the powers I have are, well, not very common.”

“I’ll say. Then, are you from outside the old barrier?” he asked.

“T-the barrier?” _What barrier?_ “I-I didn’t sense a barrier. Look, I came a long way and I’m not familiar with this area, and I only ended up in the desert after losing track of someone. A-and then…” Alyssa’s voice shook. “I-I w-was…knocked out…”

“By the explosion,” Zelgadis concluded.

_Did she make that ravine I found her in?_

After their little flight across the desert, it did seem plausible. “Was this someone also a sorcerer like you?” he asked.

“Yes.” She lowered her head. “We’ve fought with each other since I could remember. I was tracking them down to… _resolve_ …our differences once and for all.”

Something in her voice told Zelgadis he should not press the matter any further.

That was fine. It was none of his business anyway. “I guess I should thank you for the ride. It saved me a great deal of walking.”

Alyssa looked up at him and smiled weakly. “I guess I should thank you for digging me out of the sand.”

“All right then. Take care of yourself.” The chimera turned to leave but felt a tug on his cape.

“Is it okay if I travel with you for a while? I could use a guide,” She shyly asked.

Zelgadis did not want to just shrug her off, but he preferred traveling alone and the girl had already demonstrated her remarkable sense of direction. “You seem to know your way around well enough without my help.”

_Oh crap! I don’t want to be left alone right now! Most of my systems are still down!_ “But I used most of my energy getting us here,” _which was mostly true_ , she thought. “The person I’m looking for could be anywhere at the moment!”

He sighed. “Look, I don’t want trouble--”

“--Just for a while, please? As soon as I have some idea which way they went, I’ll leave, I promise!” She desperately clapped her hands together and bowed.

The chimera sighed again. “This is going to be a long trip,” he mumbled. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Yes! Thank you!” Alyssa leaped and wrapped her arms around Zelgadis’ neck in an excited hug.

Zelgadis blushed madly at her lack of any concept of personal space. “T-that’s enough!” He pried her off. “I’m not exactly the cuddly type, and I don’t want people or your _friend_ to get the wrong idea.”

She had to giggle at the cuddly comment, knowing by now the unusual nature of his body. _If magic really exists here, I bet I’ll see even stranger things than him._

Feeling more at ease, she proceeded to tease him. “What? Got a girlfriend I don’t know about?”

“N-no I _don’t!_ ” Zelgadis stuttered and stomped away towards town. He made sure his mask was in place concealing the red tinge on his blue face.

Alyssa went into a giggle fit, thinking how funny humans acted where feelings like attraction were concerned.

She was no stranger to their ways, having a temper, habits, sentiments, and loyalties among other things that formed over the course of her long life through her constant contact with humans. However, there were certain things that still completely escaped her, and yet, _fascinated_ her at the same time.

Judging by Zelgadis’ reaction to her last statement, Alyssa figured this was going to be an interesting adventure.

~~~~~

Several hours ago he felt a flash of energy from far away.

_Was it_ Her?

He kept pondering the question until the sun was below the horizon.

The sandstorm had been dying down all day until it was enough that he could now walk in a straight line and his long blonde hair no longer whipped around his face. His senses were stronger but most of his systems were still down.

_I can’t follow anyway._ She _would somehow blur_ Her _signal enough so I can’t pinpoint_ Her. She _must not be as damaged as I am._

Words and his understanding of them were clearer.

His memory was returning, though large pieces were still missing. _Damaged. It will take time to repair them._

He slowed to a stopped and closed his eyes, letting his _other_ self take over.

_Search corrupt memory files. Searching… Searching…_

Countless images passed in a few seconds. So many of them were too jumbled up to decipher that he decided to randomly pick one to see what he can do with it.

_A gate. In the sky. I’m being pulled through._ She _is there…inside of me. Wait…_

He felt another power being absorbed by him.

_Or was it the other way around?_ Whoever it was, they had the same intentions he had, that _She_ had. _Focus on their image alone._

The rest of the scene fell away, and the object of that power slowly came into focus.

_A man. No… He calls himself a monster, but half of his power… feels like_ Her…

The man he saw had black wings and a horn on top of his head. His hair was and odd color between blue and green.

_He is… A dragon._ He inwardly laughed. _Dragons don’t exist!_

And yet the knowledge he had gained from this demon’s memories said he _used_ to be a dragon.

_He is talking to someone._ He shifted his focus, and pieces of the scene came back together. _There are five, no six people._

He could only bring one into semi-focus. It was the one the demon paid the most attention to and harbored the most hatred toward. He strained to make the image clearer, making out the colors and shapes that could give any information.

After a few minutes he sensed… _remorse, fear, and compassion_ …emanating from the figure.

Then he felt the rush of energy flowing through the memory, literally knocking everything down except for that one figure. Suddenly he saw it with such sharp clarity that it hurt to look, but he forced himself to take it in.

_Long blonde hair, blue eyes…and, also, a dragon._

~~~~~

After a brief lunch and an introduction to Jillas and Gravos, Filia went upstairs to take a nap with Val while Torrin took a walk investigating the town. Laying down in her nightgown, she listened to the usual midday noise coming from the street below, letting it lull her to sleep.

Two years ago, she never thought she could take to city life, being so used to the dragon temple out in the middle of nowhere. While it was fine while she traveled, staying in such a place for a long period of time used to grate on her nerves.

_I never thought I would be so mistrusting of my own kind either. But I did find a place for me._

For better or for worse, she had changed a great deal, and it gave her even more reason to stand firm and not let anything that happened recently scare her off. If Torrin really was a dragon of his word, she will have plenty of help, not to mention Lina was coming as well.

Filia rolled over to her side and sighed contentedly, knowing now there was not much of anything to worry about in the foreseeable future. In a few minutes she was fast asleep.

~~~~~

Rage built up inside of him at the sight of the dragoness kneeling pitifully in prayer.

_Compassion. A useless emotion._ He had an urge to destroy the image just for that.

His perspective of her changed to that of the other dragon who no longer existed in the memory. _He_ was now the dragon. Dark claws became his hands, and he reached out towards the dragoness still on her knees, wrapping them around her neck.

He squeezed.

~~~~~

Filia awoke gasping for air and clawing at her neck.

The room suddenly went dark, despite the sun streaming through her window, and what she believed to be a male figure appeared before her. Piercing blue eyes filled her vision, glaring back at her, filled with contempt.

Before she could even try making a sound, he growled, _“You…”_

“Wh-- Wh--oo…” Filia was beginning to lose focus. She had to think of something quick before she blacked out.

Opening her mouth, she focused all of her energy into a ball of light and aimed it at her attacker.

Not a moment too late, he let go of her neck to dodge her energy beam.

He tumbled several feet away and stood up, a little surprised that one of his own memories could fight back. _No matter. I’ll just delete her._

“Who…are…you?!” Filia gasped still clinging to her throat. Her knees shook underneath her. _I used a lot of energy. I better be careful._

“In a few seconds, nobody you should be concerned with,” he stated coolly.

~~~~~

Xellos phased into the alley after visiting Lina and Gourry so, as to not create another scene in Filia’s shop, though it was tempting.

“Man, that Lina doesn’t know how to take a joke.” He hopped over to the side door and knocked.

One of the girls Xellos remembered Filia calling Janna opened the door. “Yes, who is it?”

A large shot of foreign energy seized his astral body, and his eyes opened wide.

A little confused at his odd stare, Janna began to ask if he was okay, but he phased out before she could finish.

The monster followed the source of the energy to Filia’s bedroom. Phasing in, he found the dragoness in a bloody mess on the floor beside her bed, still in a half sleep state, struggling with an unseen adversary.

Xellos let go of his staff and rushed over. “Filia! _Filia!_ ” He grabbed hold of her flailing arms.

The energy vibrating through him grew stronger to the point his own limbs shook when he touched her, but he refused to let go. He wound up on top of her as he restrained her arms, which was not easy considering Filia’s incredible strength, combined with her unconscious panicked state.

Now that he had her in a position where she could not hurt herself anymore, Xellos used his own power to push back at her assailant.

~~~~~

He felt an outside force push him away from the dragoness’ body. A flash of light followed, and seconds later, he woke up flat on his back in the sand again.

_Damn it!_ He got up. _I don’t have time for this!_

His _other_ self had let the memory suck him in, and he temporarily had no command of his emotions. Even worse, the memory managed to fight back.

_Not possible! Unless… That dragon was not just a memory._

His _other_ self was drawn to her, desiring to either control or crush her.

_She was real. But how did she access my memories?_

~~~~~

Filia was blinded by a strange energy burst that came from nowhere through her body and passed out. She came to back in her room, sick to her stomach and shivering all over, despite the hardwood floor warmed by the afternoon sun pressing against her backside.

Eventually, her eyes focused and another, more familiar, face filled her vision and not looking very happy.

She looked at it for a second before noticing the odd position her body was in. She gasped.

The face then abandoned its serious look, smirked and said, “Welcome back, Filia.”


	5. Me, Myself, and I (And Others)

# ~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~

## Chapter Five: Me, Myself, and I (And Others)

He found himself on the other side of the room against the wall a second later.

_“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!”_ Filia screamed. She sat up hyperventilating, pale-faced and still shaking. _“WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!”_

Xellos’ eye twitched. _So much for concern._ “Is that anyway to thank someone who just saved your life?”

She stared at him, dumbly out of breath.

“Look,” Xellos got up and walked back over, “When I got here you were flopping on the floor like a fish gasping for air.” He kneeled down in front of her. “Do you remember what happened before the attack?”

“I…was…taking a nap.” Filia forced herself to take deep breaths but could not stop shaking, and her stomach ached horribly. “Why are you here?”

“I just had a feeling. Give me your hand,” he said as gestured with his own.

Still suspicious, Filia slowly handed him her left one.

Xellos enclosed his fingers around it, and immediately she sensed her shakes and upset stomach fade away. By the time he let go of her hand less than a minute later, her anxiety was completely gone, and she felt light as a feather.

“There, better now, dear Filia?” He grinned.

Very impressed and unable to find the right words to thank him, she took another deep breath and tried to stand up. A sharp pain brought her back to the floor again.

Filia looked down at her side and saw a deep red stain across it. “Oh no.”

“Oh, this is serious,” Xellos said, his grin gone again. He had almost forgotten about the blood.

“You think?” Filia tried not to snap at him. “This is where they hit me in my dream.”

“Sounds awfully like an astral attack.” His tone was serious now. “You better do something about that wound before they come back. They might not wait until you’re asleep next time.”

The bedroom door creaked open, and Janna poked her head in. “I’m sorry to bother you Miss Filia, but…” She recognized Xellos and pointed. “What- _how?!_ You were…just-how-did-you--”

“It’s okay,” said Filia, “This is my friend Xellos.”

“Oh, so _now_ I’m your friend,” mocked the monster.

_“Watch it,”_ she snapped.

“Good to see your back to normal.” Xellos got up, ignoring Filia’s glare, and walked over to the young girl. “You must be Janna.”

“Uh, yes.” Janna sheepishly held out her hand.

He took it. “I must apologize for scaring you earlier. I do have a favor to ask. Would you please bring some water and towels?”

“Um, sure.” The girl took off down the hall.

“What do I need water and towels for? I can heal my-oh…” Filia looked down at her wound again and realized there was a good deal of blood on her _and_ the floor.

Xellos lifted her up and was nearly knocked over. “Whoa there! Try not to pass out!”

The motion made Filia dizzy. She wobbled over to her chair by the dresser and started to lift her skirt to get a better look, until Xellos clear his throat.

“Oh. Y-you can go. I think I can handle it from here,” she said.

He picked up his staff. “Do you want me to come back later tonight, just in case?”

“No, I’ll be fine.” She waved him off. “Lina and the others should be here soon.”

“Then, take care.” He bowed slightly, preparing to phase out.

Filia stopped him. “Wait, Xellos…” she said hesitantly, “…Thank you…”

She had never said such a thing to a monster before, and it felt very strange to hear herself utter those words in the presence of one. However, it was the least she could do.

Xellos just gave his usual grin. “Just doing my job.”

With that he phased out.

~~~~~

He had no more time to waste. Sifting through corrupted memories will have to wait. His energy was dangerously low.

_A human body can be so inconvenient at times. Forget the dragon._

But that other part of him was very powerful and seemingly unaffected by his human side. He came to the conclusion that if he could somehow harness it, not only will he finally get out of that endless sea of sand, but could help him restore his systems to peak function.

_I must follow_ Her.

Realizing _She_ might be in the same situation, he needed to find _Her_ , before all _Her_ systems reawaken as well. He searched in the general direction he felt _Her_ energy several hours before for some sort of settlement, guessing that was the reason _She_ went that way.

Locating a town on the desert’s edge, he felt another presence beseeching him in the back of his mind. He let it come forward and fill his entire being with power, enveloping him in a green glow.

Coordinates locked in, he set his sights on the destination and shot off into the night sky.

~~~~~

Zelgadis and Alyssa spent the day walking by crop fields belonging to the semi-arid city they just left. The trip was largely uneventful as Alyssa took in the scenery, investigating every odd shaped rock and lone standing tree, and occasionally commenting on them. Zelgadis did not mind the lack of conversation. It gave him time to think about many things, namely his new-found traveling companion.

He said to himself earlier he had no interest in her or her business, but there was just something about her that kept wracking his brain. Alyssa was like a spastic, bubble headed teenager, and a curious child full of wonder at the same time.

Then there was the other side of her.

The power she displayed was nothing like what he had seen within any known magical tradition, and Zelgadis found it highly suspect that it could be any sort of magic native to this world. A previous experience from two years prior involving beings from another plane fueled this suspicion.

He came up with two possibilities: There was a new form of magic that somehow developed outside the old barrier, or Alyssa was from another world.

But those possible explanations left Zelgadis scratching his head over new questions. The one that stood out the most was, _who was she looking for?_

While the chimera kept to himself for most of the day, Alyssa made thorough observations of her surroundings, ranging from mapping the terrain to mentally cataloging the vegetation and minerals they came across, just like she would on any planet she visited. Of course, this type of scanning did not require her _other_ self to completely take over, so she acted like a school girl on a field trip, though her current appearance was more that of a young woman just exiting her teenage years.

The first time she saw her reflection in a pond they stopped by in the middle of a pasture, she recognized herself, and yet, it was not her. It was an older version of the self she usually projected, while her voice remained unchanged.

Another odd thing Alyssa noticed was the way her body interacted with everything around her.

She could not deactivate her ability to touch and just pass through an object as she pleased. It did not cross her mind before in the desert when Zelgadis was digging her up, but later when she tried to pass an arm through a barbed wire fence to pick some wildflowers, she wound up with numerous cuts.

Alyssa knew what pain was and experienced plenty of it in battle, though not quite in the same way humans did. Drawing blood, however, was a new experience.

She attempted to cover the cuts with the dark pink ribbon from her sleeves, but with her dress being mostly white, it gave her away.

Zelgadis stopped her a few minutes later to ask if she was okay and was not about to start bleeding from the eyes and ears. In response, she did her usual air headed laugh and said something about being a little clumsy and absent minded at times, even undoing her sleeve to reassure him they were only scrapes.

The chimera let out a disconcerted sigh and told her to hurry and heal herself before someone came along and assumed he attacked her. Alyssa gave him a questioning look, but thankfully kept herself from saying anything, and proceeded to close her eyes and call forth her _other_ self to take over.

She was not used to repairing a fully physical human form, but she asked herself while the _other_ part of her came forward, _What would I do, if I was damaged or corrupted in my original form?_

Her eyes opened again moments later, and she saw the cuts surrounded by a faint green glow close up nicely, without any noticeable marks.

Alyssa was so excited about her accomplishment, she squealed in delight, yelling, “I did it! I _actually_ did it!”

“What do you mean? Have you not healed yourself before?” asked Zelgadis, now more suspicious than ever.

She thought of a quick cover. “Uh, I have, but…I was worried because…you know, the nasty fall I took earlier!”

Zelgadis’ piercing stare made her sweat; another first experience for her. She never expected a human body could become so _moist_ so quickly.

Without saying a word, Zelgadis continued walking down the road. _Something’s not right._

It was obvious to him that she had more than enough power left over to do a basic healing spell on a few scratches. Not only that, no self respecting sorcerer would skip over learning magical first aid, yet judging by her demeanor, Zelgadis believed he had just witnessed Alyssa learning a new trick.

Not much else was said between them the rest of the day, until they reached a little hamlet nestled amongst some rolling hills, just in time to find a room and a decent meal. It was dark by then, and the winds had picked up, forcing the locals inside.

Alyssa was shivering when they reached the main street which was nothing more than a very large dirt road. Zelgadis took notice and without much thought, dug out a spare cloak from his bag.

“Here.” He handed the cloak to her. “I don’t want you catching cold. And that dress of yours will attract attention.”

“T-thank you.” She put it on gratefully.

Then, out of nowhere came a growl from below.

Alyssa looked down to where here ‘stomach’ was supposedly located. There was another low growl.

“I think I’m hungry,” she said.

“I’ll say.” Zelgadis motioned her to an inn. “Come on. Let’s eat and figure out a plan for tomorrow… And figure out what to do about your clothing.”

“Huh? But what’s wrong with them?” Alyssa inquired while trying not to sound too whiny.

“They’re not practical, and there’s blood all over them. Now, come on,” Zelgadis said quickly as he waved her to the door.

With Alyssa in tow, the chimera weaved their way through the dinner crowd to find a table and did his best to avoid those drinking at the bar. Along the way, he heard snippets of conversation referring to a ‘big bang’ and a massive earthquake that followed.

He briefly looked back at his companion, whose attention was absorbed by the dinner hall and asked himself for the millionth time that day, _What on earth is she?_

Alyssa found it hard to contain herself while she took in the entire room and cataloged everything in it. The variety of foods and beverages indicated that despite its small size, this town was a thriving trading post. Most of the crowd was made up of decently dressed men in different styles and dyed cloth. She realized some of these things were also present in the town near the desert edge and remembered Zelgadis mentioning he was traveling with a caravan, before he had to turn back.

They sat down at a small table in the back and waited for someone to take their orders. Alyssa was still staring at everyone and everything, not realizing she was acquiring a few curious looks herself.

“Alyssa, don’t gawk,” Zelgadis reprimanded. “You’ll draw attention to us. This is a decent establishment, but it’s still rude.”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry.” Alyssa finally turned her attention to him. “I just wanted to… observe everything I can.”

“Do you have some sort of photographic memory?” he inquired.

“Actually, I do. It comes in handy. By the way…” She changed the subject, “It looks like some of these merchants are heading for the desert. Good thing we missed the traffic, huh?”

A little surprised, Zelgadis asked, “How do you know they’re not coming back from the desert?”

“Their clothes are not dusty, like ours. Judging by the number of people, I say they’re probably part of a rather large caravan, not unlike the one you were a part of. I also suspect that most of the buildings around here are warehouses and stables.”

“Impressive.” Even more impressive to Zelgadis was how she explained it so matter-of-factly in a mature fashion. She almost looked like a different person. “Are you sure you need my help finding your way around?”

“Positive. I’m observant, but I still can be caught off guard.” _Especially since I’m still getting used to being human._ Her main concern since that afternoon was Him not having the same problem as her.

“Hard to believe, but if your friend is as powerful as you are, it’s definitely plausible,” Zelgadis said. “You should’ve recruited more help if they’re that difficult to handle. Do you have any other friends who could help you?”

_Other…friends?_

Alyssa went quiet after that remark. An odd ache started in her chest and made its way to her throat.

Zelgadis sensed he stepped on a sore mark, and did not bother to take the conversation further. He ordered for her and remained silent throughout the meal. Any decisions he planned on making he decided to wait till morning, seeing as Alyssa went off into her own little world.

Alyssa contemplated on the strange new feeling as she ate, not bothering to comment on how the food tasted, even though it was, what was the word? _Delicious_ , and it was her first time ever tasting food. She kept to herself until they settled into their room.

It was only one room, but it had two beds. The other rooms still available had three to five beds; common in a town used to traveling merchants.

Long after Zelgadis fell asleep, Alyssa laid in her bed. still thinking about everything. Her eyelids, for the very first time, felt heavy with want of sleep, but her head was still filled with a great deal of activity.

Images flashed rapidly inside her mind. People she willed herself not to think about for centuries came before her, like they were still alive and more tangible than mere files that filled her memory banks.

_My friends._

She felt her lips curl in to a small smile. Her chest and throat still hurt to the point her eyes stung, but now she understood what it meant. It had been a long time since she had a chance to not have _Him_ permeate every corner of her mind.

Her thoughts eventually wandered back to the moment when they separated after their long battle.

_Wait._

She remembered being in some sort of limbo, then falling onto this planet, and before that…

She searched her memories leading up to it, but everything was too jumbled to make any sense, except for an odd figure with large black wings. Alyssa felt connected to it, like she was having what humans often called an ‘out of body’ experience, looking at herself.

_Impossible, there’s no way my ship can take possession of another person…_ My _ship,_ she thought. _Why would I say_ my _ship? I_ am _my ship!_

Yet the phrase felt perfectly natural to her.

_Why?_

Not only that, Alyssa could not remember ever transforming from ship to human form.

_I_ have _no human form…I’m only a projection._

Looking back at the incident in the desert and later when she managed to heal herself, none of it made sense anymore.

_What_ is _my_ other _self?_

Somehow that phrase felt natural too. She referred to it all day, not once questioning its existence.

Alyssa went to the figure with the black wings again, and analyzed it more closely. _He_ was there, surrounding her, just as _He_ was surrounded by the figure’s power.

She was nothing. Just a force. A mere mass of self-aware energy. _I remember…I had given up… and almost destroyed everything._

She sensed the being standing before her wanted the same thing as she did, but for a different reason.

_He wanted vengeance._

A jolt of energy shocked Alyssa out of her thoughts.

Her squeak and sudden movement sitting up alerted Zelgadis, who jumped out of his own bed into a battle stance with sword drawn and his sharp eyes darting about the room.

“It’s just me!” She raised her hands frantically. “A bad dream, that’s all!”

Her body was shaking, as if the energy was making it vibrate, and she hoped the chimera would not notice. She did not want to be bombarded with questions again, especially since she had no clue what just happened.

Zelgadis thought her shaking was due to the severity of her dream. He lowered his sword and heaved a sigh of irritated relief. “Damn it, I hope this isn’t a common occurrence?”

“I swear, it isn’t! Please, don’t be mad…!” Her voice went into a soft high pitch at the end of her statement.

“I’m not angry,” he reassured, “It’s just that if you’re going to travel with me for a while, you’ll need to be more careful. I hope you realize there are a lot of crazy things out there, and I’ll have to be on guard.”

“I…I understand.”

“Are you sure you okay?” he asked.

“Y-yes.” she reassured.

Without another word, Zelgadis put his sword back in place and laid back down.

Alyssa laid down as well and pulled the covers over her with trembling hands. She took the crazy things part to heart. In a world of sorcerers and creatures like Zelgadis, she would have to start expecting the unexpected. She was no longer in familiar territory.

A minute later, her body finally settled down as the source of the energy dissipated. _I can’t get too jumpy, but that power…I’ve felt it before._

~~~~~

He set himself down on the flat roof of one of the larger pueblo buildings as soon as he reached the desert town and took a few minutes to analyze his surroundings.

“Now then…” he muttered to himself. It was the first time he used his human vocal cords since landing in this world. “I will need food…and a disguise.”

It was already very late in the evening, so most of the town was settled in. He spied one building where light was still streaming through the lower windows and music and laughter could be heard down the street.

“Perfect.”

He found an outside stairway down and made his way over. He stopped in front of an alleyway beside the building, when heard a ruckus at the front entrance.

Two drunk men staggered out, hanging onto each other for balance. He figured they were travelers because their clothing was not really suited for life in an arid environment.

An idea came to him. He hid himself in the alley and waited.

The men walked toward him in a sort of zigzag talking incoherently to each other, oblivious to anything else. As soon as they passed by him, he took a knife he saw hanging from one of their belts, and cut them both down before they knew anything happened.

He dragged them into the alley, where he stripped them both of clothing he needed to blend in better and took any money, weapons, and any other accessories to make himself look more legitimate. He did not care to hide or bury them since he did not plan on hanging around much longer.

The only things he needed now was provisions and a quick getaway. Using any more of his power might attract unwanted attention.

He heard a soft whinny coming from the other side of the building. _Horses. Good to know._ He was familiar with the creature being used as a primitive form of transportation for humans.

“I need some supplies.” He looked up at the building itself and figured he could try to find out where the men he just killed were staying.

Being travelers, they would have everything he would need to keep a low profile. He could stand living like a mere mortal for a while, if it allowed him to get close to _Her_ without detection. He had done it before.

There was a medallion worn around each of the men’s necks with identical official looking seals. He only took one for reference, on the off-chance it might help him locate the rest of their things.

He rushed up the stairway on the side of the building to the second floor to avoid the crowd on the first floor and slipped in. From there, he tested each door quietly to see which one would open. Only two were unlocked, but he did not find anything indicating anyone was using those rooms.

On the third floor, he had better luck finding their belongings in the fifth room he tried. The same seal was found imprinted on a book set on a night stand.

It was possible there were more travelers carrying the same seal staying in the same inn, but he did not have much time to think on that. He went through everything in the room, made sure he packed all he would need, and immediately went back out the way he came.

In the stable, he also looked for a horse with the same seal, thinking that if anyone saw him before he could get away and asked questions, he could get by without much trouble. Of course, the horses were not wearing any bridles or saddles, but he knew they would be placed nearby the owner’s horse.

He found one sleek black mare near the back who had the matching seal on her equipment. _This is almost_ too _easy._

The well-trained mare made no objections to him saddling her up, and before leaving, he took one last good look around him to make sure no one could see him.

There was a small snore coming from one of the empty stalls. He looked over to find what he believed was a stable boy curled up in some hay, fast asleep.

_Definitely too easy._

He led his horse quietly out of the stable and down the street until he reached the edge of town, and then, he took off into the night.

~~~~~

Janna was hysterical seeing the mess when she came back, so Filia had to calm her down and make her promise to not say anything before letting her go. However, when Filia came downstairs and ran into Jillas with blood soaked towels in her hands and red water in a bucket, there was no way of keeping the incident quiet until Lina arrived, like she wanted.

The shop was in complete disorder all afternoon, between keeping the rest of the girls and Jillas from breaking down to making sure the customers were taken care of. Filia took most of it sitting down, as she was still disoriented by blood loss.

Eventually, she had to tell Gravos to close the shop a couple of hours early and send the girls home, so she could take care of Val and herself. Jillas ran around like his feet were on fire tending to all the usual household duties, not letting his boss lift a finger for anyone or anything, save the hatchling.

When Lina and Gourry finally arrived, fully upbeat and asking what was for dinner, everyone was quite worn out. Filia happened to be upstairs washing and changing Val at the time, so Jillas jumped on them and gave them a talking to about their behavior, while Gravos kept to himself quietly in the kitchen.

The dragoness came out of the bathroom with a clean giggling human Val, when she heard the commotion below.

“I’m about to _ring_ your neck like a chicken Jillas! Since when where you an authority on manners?!”

“I wus a good gen’leman before I los’ ma family an’ knew more ‘bout good manners than you _eva’_ could!”

“Oh, _sorry_ for your loss! The least you could do was say you’re glad to see us, but dinner isn’t ready _yet!_ ”

Filia shook her head and looked at Val. “All Lina thinks about is food, like _you!_ ”

Val just patted her mouth as he grinned and cooed, happy that her attention was not being diverted to the noise downstairs.

“Let’s hope she takes to you better than Jillas!” She smiled at him and descended the stairs.

Lina immediately turned to her as soon as she heard her footsteps coming down. “Hey, Filia! Sorry to barge in like this, but would you _please_ get this little rat off my back!”

“Itz not yo’ house, Lina Inverse!” Jillas yelled.

“Calm down, Jillas,” Filia gently reprimanded as she reached the last step. She turned to Lina. “We’ve had a rough day, so please forgive him.”

Lina threw a nasty look at the fox, who huffed and stomped off to the kitchen. “So what made _him_ so bent out of shape? Does it have anything to do with Egan? He’s supposed to be here by now.”

“Mr. Egan took a walk around town and should be back any minute,” Filia replied.

“Okay…so, what happened when he told you about Milgazia’s request?” the sorceress asked.

“I said no, then Xellos showed up,” she said simply.

_“And?”_ Lina pressed. She suspected the monster had interfered when he paid her a little visit earlier that day.

Filia shifted Val to the other arm as he started fussing for attention and proceeded to explain the events of the day. She was interrupted twice by Jillas yelling obscenities from the next room about the monster before she finished.

Lina rubbed her temple. “That’s just great,” she grumbled. “I guess that vacation will have to wait.”

“What do you mean?” Filia asked.

The sorceress gestured into the air. “Well, for one thing, there’s no way we can leave you alone with all of this going on. Yes, I know Egan said he’ll stay with you for a while, but if Xellos is involved here, this could get nasty _real_ quick.”

“I understand that, but at this point, neither you or Mr. Egan know what to do if something should happen. We need to find out more about those responsible for the blast. Xellos has kept me up to date on--Val please settle down, I’ll feed you in just a moment.” Val hands were now pulling on her dress top. “I’m sorry, Lina. I need to take care of Val before it gets too late.”

Lina eyed the hatchling with curiosity. She never thought the former Valgaav could look so innocent.

“Its fine, go ahead.” She let out a great sigh. “Hey, where’s Gourry?”

“Here!” Gourry came out of the kitchen with a large sandwich in his hand. “Mr. Gravel was kind enough to fix something for me to eat.” He took a bite out of his sandwich as the girls stared. “What?”

Filia burst out laughing. “I guess we’re having sandwiches tonight!”


	6. Friendship and Feelings

# ~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~

## Chapter 6: Friendship and Feelings

Filia was in her shop stocking small maces and tea sets she made herself, enjoying the quiet when Torrin finally came knocking at her back door. For the second time that day, she opened the door for him, but with a warm smile.

Torrin’s ears perked up as he came in. “I was expecting a ruckus.”

Filia locked the door behind her. She noted how his mood had improved significantly since lunchtime. “A lot happened while you were gone. Everybody is getting ready for bed. What took you so long?”

“Mrs. Gillet invited me in for a cup of coffee.” He looked at her with a humorous smile Filia never thought he was capable of.

She found herself smiling even more. “She’s quite the conversationalist.”

The Dimos chuckled. “Indeed. I suspect that I’ll be a hot topic in town in a day or two.”

Filia couldn’t help but laugh. Her neighbor was a good natured, generous woman, but her one weakness was a need to know _everything_ that was going on in town.

“Are you hungry?” she asked as they climbed up the stairs to the second floor with Torrin in lead.

“Thanks to Mrs. Gillet, no,” he replied.

“I buy most of my clothing from her. Her daughters are very talented. Just wait until the festival, and you’ll see half the town will be wearing their handy work.”

He turned to Filia as he reached the top of the stairs. “What will you be wearing?”

She halted on the fourth step from the top.

It was an innocent question, but his curiosity in her, particularly in what she will be wearing, made Filia flush a bit. “Oh, something crazy and colorful. Y-you should ask Mrs. Gillet to come up with something for you.”

Torrin thought her reaction was rather cute. He smiled at her again. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Filia looked away after a moment’s pause and hurried up the last few steps. “I-I have your bed ready. Gourry is sleeping in the guest bedroom where you will be. Lina is in my room since my bed’s big enough.”

“Thanks.” He went to the other side of the stairs where the hallway was. He heard water running and a male voice humming behind one of the doors. “That must me Gourry.”

“Actually, I was hoping to have a chance to sit down and chat with you,” said Filia, a little more serious now. She had been wanting to tell him about what happened earlier that afternoon.

Torrin turned around. “All right. I’m not quite tired yet anyway. At least we can get to know each other a little better. I’ve heard a great deal about you and some of your adventures with Lina.”

Chit-chat was not exactly what Filia had in mind. _Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to just talk. I’ll work it in somehow._

From what she could gather, Torrin seemed to have a very protective streak, and Filia did not want to alarm him. Besides, he was showing a very relaxed side of himself, and she did not want to break the mood so quickly after finally getting everyone else settled in for the night.

Filia steered clear of the touchy subject for now. “Lina’s the interesting one. She told me things about her travels that dwarf anything I’ve ever done.”

Torrin sat down on the cushioned bench in the living area and propped his arm. “Then, maybe you can tell me. She can be awfully rude sometimes. And you can tell me about your shop, about Val, anything you want to brag about. Even your favorite color.”

“It’s pink, but all right.” Filia felt the color rising in her face again. “Let me make some tea first. But you have to tell me about you too.”

“I Promise.” Torrin watched her go into the kitchen. _I certainly hope this makes up for earlier today._

He hated getting off to a bad start with a fellow dragon, particularly a pretty dragoness. They were usually much easier to deal with, but first impressions were very important to them.

He reminded himself that Filia was different, very different.

His walk through town had been very pleasant and also very informative. He could see why Filia would pick such a place to raise Val. There was a real sense of closeness that dragons would desire in a clan. The one major difference was how open the community was towards outsiders. Granted, the town was located near a major port city, but the people here were rather extraordinary though they lived what many would consider mundane lives. Just by walking around he could tell they took pride in what they do.

Which brought him back to Filia.

When he first saw her, he was struck by how she carried herself. It was a different sort of pride most other dragons seem to lack but was prevalent among the humans he met today. He had to admit, compared to them he was rather stiff like Lina said, and he certainly did not take pride in what he did, though he was good. He had his reasons.

The mission was already becoming complicated. Torrin had been debating in his mind if he should actually mention anything to Lord Milgazia about what was happening in the monster world. There was a possibility that he might have to convince Filia to temporarily hide with her own kind, against Xellos’ suggestion, and against his own convictions.

Then again, it could be a trick.

Filia came back into the room with a tray and found Torrin staring at the coffee table in front of him with a solemn look on his face. “Mr., Uh… Egan? I have your tea.”

He looked at her and put on a pleasant face, realizing he must have worried her. “Just call me Torrin.”

“Torrin,” Filia repeated. She sat the tray down and sat across from him. “You said you’re from Kataart right?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“That would explain the accent. You let it slip out earlier.” In her training days, Filia was taught the extensive history of the dragon race, and knew where the Dimos originated. “Why do you hide it?”

Torrin took a tea cup. “I have to when I travel. For safety reasons, mainly to not attract unwanted attention.”

“I doubt you would have to worry about that here,” Filia assured him. She took a sip of her tea. “Ever since the barrier broke down, people on this part of the continent have been interested in all sorts of things coming from the peninsula, including magic. They wouldn’t carry the same sort of prejudices you’ve encountered before.”

“Do they know you’re a dragon?” Torrin asked.

“Actually, yes.” She smiled nervously. “I’ve even had some of the older girls in my shop watch Val from time to time.” 

He gave Filia a stern look.

“Don’t worry,” she reassured. “They don’t know much about us, and they adore Val. It’s been two years. If anything, our neighbors wouldn’t let anyone hurt us.”

“I would feel better if you didn’t say anymore about our kind.” Torrin’s voice was laden with concern.

Filia sighed into her cup. The good mood was broken. “There isn’t anything else they need to know.”

He stared at his own cup, noting the delicate pink roses and green leaves just under the rim. “I Just have so many things to think about right now.”

“I know.” _You might as well get it over with,_ Filia thought. “Torrin?”

He lifted his head. “Yes?”

“There’s something you need to know.”

~~~~~

After two weeks of traveling dusty roads and hidden trails, Zelgadis and Alyssa sat up camp at the edge of a dark evergreen forest they have been walking along for a couple of days. The sun had set about an hour ago, and both were now concentrating on keeping comfortable by the fire and letting their latest meal settle in their stomachs.

There were no more late night incidents, but several times Alyssa’s curiosity almost got them in deep trouble with locals. Zelgadis did an expert job on explaining their way out, chalking it up to foreigner naiveté, which was the only decent answer he had.

It was already clear that she was no ordinary girl, but the more Zelgadis observed her, the more confused he was. He began to think his earlier suspicions were way off, and that Alyssa really was just a lost young woman with incredible abilities, magic and otherwise, that even she did not quite understand. It would certainly explain why she did not like to brag much.

That being said, Zelgadis could tell that she was holding back, perhaps to not attract attention of the person she was looking for. It was a small comfort, but at least he did not have to worry about being blown up in his sleep. Lina Inverse was enough for that purpose.

During rare moments when Alyssa was acting more like a normal human being, Zelgadis caught himself doing a double take on occasion when he looked at her. One moment she was a child, the next a more mature lady, and the next something else altogether, like her personality, only Zelgadis knew she did not actually change before his eyes.

They did not talk much, other than Zelgadis usually asking what on earth Alyssa was doing. The silent agreement of not discussing about each other’s personal lives too much was holding up well, but as the chimera got closer to his destination he knew the wall between them will have to come down somewhat.

Alyssa walked around the edge of the firelight in her new brown travel boots that went with her outfit complete with a tan vest and cape, white undershirt and a soft blue travel skirt with a brown belt. She insisted on having a skirt. Zelgadis made good on his promise to at least clothe her properly, so she thanked him by doing any necessary chores and errands that needed to be done.

Aside from a few awkward episodes, she was learning fast. Alyssa reveled in the little camping routine they settled into. There was always so much to take in. She had never before participated in every little detail of human life. Doing was very different from merely observing. Eating, sleeping, dressing, bathing, walking, running, cooking, cleaning, and even doing nothing have held her fascination for such a long time.

They have also become a convenient distraction as well.

A few incidents along the way required her special abilities, but a constant fear in the back of her mind made her put out only the bare minimum of effort needed.

Tonight her body tingled all over even though she decided not to do any thorough observations tonight. She only did it when their surrounding environment changed dramatically, just in case.

“There’s something here,” said Alyssa. _It feels like the remains of an energy field._ “Was something destroyed here?”

“It’s the leftover of a powerful magical shield, meant to cloak this country,” Zelgadis replied as he threw on more firewood. “You’ve should’ve seen this place when it was active. The magic was so thick at times you could almost choke, and the mist was so dense you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.”

Alyssa plopped down on the ground near him and smiled. “That’s the most you’ve talk to me this whole trip that didn’t have a bunch of questions for me.”

“Like you, I tend to keep to myself. I just felt it was something you should know for your observations,” he said.

She stared up at the evening sky noting the position of the stars and wondered what kind of constellations this planet had. “I have a question. I know I shouldn’t pry too much into your business as well, but why are we here?” Alyssa casually asked.

“To meet a friend,” Zelgadis answered as he absently poked a small log that refused to burn with a stick.

She tilted her head. “Who?”

“Her name is Amelia, and she’s an heir to the crown of Seyruun, one of the countries located east of here. The last time I visited her a few months ago, she mentioned her father was still working to help restore this country. I could’ve gone further east and taken the main road north to the capitol, but this route was quicker. If she isn’t here, then at least I’m an acquaintance of the royal family, and they can give me some information on her current whereabouts. Being a princess and an ambassador, she’ll be very busy and could be anywhere right now,” he explained.

Alyssa’s smile widened into a grin. “Oh, so is she your girlfriend, then?”

Zelgadis let out a snort and his face burned red. “I told you I don’t have a girlfriend!” He threw his stick into the fire. _She better not do this around Amelia!_

Alyssa giggled. _Must be a_ special _friendship if he reacts like that._ “Okay, I get it. So, why is she helping this country, and how do you know about this place?”

Zelgadis calmed himself down. “It’s to make up for something that happened several years ago when an incurable plague swept this country. The surrounding countries sent aid but never bothered to make sure it got here.”

“Oh no,” Alyssa said sympathetically.

“The reason is a whole other story which I won’t go into, but later a very powerful sorcerer named Rezo came and put everyone under a deep sleep until a cure could be found. He transferred the spirit of the prince and a loyal servant into temporary bodies, so they could go in search of a cure and protect their people until then. Before Rezo left, he put up this shield as an added measure.” Zelgadis stared into the fire for a long uneasy minute.

“Then what happened?” Alyssa asked.

“I think I should stop.”

She was confused. “But why? How did they find the cure? Where did the sorcerer Rezo go? And where do you come in?”

Her bombarding questions irritated him. He got up. “My involvement goes much deeper than I would like to admit, and I appreciate it if you didn’t _pry_ into my business anymore!”

Zelgadis marched off into his tent and busied himself with getting ready for bed. He was not used to sharing any part of his past to outsiders, especially something he still harbored unresolved feelings about.

It was hard even when he first met Lina and the others. After a while they became the only ones he would talk to about anything concerning him and only on a need to know basis. Out of all of them, Amelia knew the most because of her father’s insistence before making Zelgadis her body guard two years ago.

He looked at his readymade bedding and sighed. _I really shouldn’t take it out on Alyssa. Besides, if she meets the others, everything will come out eventually._

Alyssa stared at Zelgadis’ tent wondering what she did wrong this time. The first thing that crossed her mind was this ‘Rezo’ was somebody he did not like very much.

After a couple of minutes of sitting there wondering, she heard his voice come from the tent. “If you want, you can ask Amelia when you meet her.”

~~~~~

By mid morning they had passed through the gates of the city. The capital was in much better shape than a year ago. Many of the older buildings that sustained lesser damage where rebuilt while others were replaced with brand new ones. Only their stones betrayed their age. Streets were very well kept, and many retail businesses, restaurants, and inns were up and fully running. Everything looked like a typical, fully-functioning town.

Zelgadis asked one of the guards standing on a street corner if they were still receiving foreign aid. The guard said the country had a very poor harvest the past year, so to head off a widespread famine, Seyruun continued to work with other countries to bring in food supplies and seeds for planting long after reconstruction was done. They pointed the way where wagons just arrived earlier that day.

There they found Amelia helping out sorting through goods with Pokota.

She was not wearing the usual travel outfit Zelgadis was used to seeing. Gone were the light airy colors that reflected her bright personality. Her tunic was an emerald green with short sleeves that had a simple decorative border in black and gold. Underneath it she had a cream colored shirt that folded out neatly at the collar and slightly puffed sleeves that fastened at her wrists. Her pants were dark tan, and the boots and belt were a matching dark brown with a tan pouch hanging on her left side. To finish it off she wore a dark brown, almost black cape with a tan under color.

Zelgadis also noticed as he walked closer to her, Amelia looked a little taller.

Her whole face lit up when she happened to turn in his direction and sat down her sack of feed she was holding to run over. “Mr. Zelgadis!”

_It’s still Amelia,_ Zelgadis thought. _A more grown up Amelia._

Her attitude appeared to be the same as the last time he saw her. Her voice was high and full of never ceasing confidence like always.

“Good to see you, Amelia.” He stopped and let her come to him; something that gave him a great deal of pleasure.

Alyssa kept to herself behind Zelgadis not wanting to disrupt their reunion.

_So, this is the girl he likes so much._ She smiled to herself.

Amelia ran right up to Zelgadis stopping just short of a hug, which she so desperately wanted to do. “I didn’t know you knew I was here!”

“I was lucky my guess was right,” he said.

Then Zelgadis saw a scowling Pokota coming up behind Amelia. _Not good._

The prince, still in his stuffed animal-looking body, was not very fond of the chimera and was not afraid to show it. However, Pokota was very fond of Amelia, so as long as she was present he remained civil towards Zelgadis.

Zelgadis was hoping to spend some time with Amelia alone. One of the things he missed while traveling alone was good conversation, and Amelia was a surprisingly brilliant conversationalist when she was not ranting on about justice.

Even more, he missed her presence. They spent a great deal of time together after his first return from the Desert of Destruction a few months after the fight with Dark Star. He admitted to himself although they have gone through a great deal together before that, he found that he felt more anxious than ever to be with her after they parted ways last time.

Zelgadis knew Pokota was not going to let him have the gratification.

Pokota stopped by Amelia’s side not saying a word. His eyes warned the chimera not to try anything.

“So, what brings you here, Mr. Zelgadis?” Amelia asked.

Zelgadis turned his attention back to her. “Something happened back in the desert, and I had to turn around.”

“But, wouldn’t it have taken you at least a month and a half to get here? I mean, judging by your last letter, you…” Amelia finally noticed Alyssa behind him. “Um, am I missing something?”

Zelgadis was flattered that Amelia would keep track of where he went and exactly how long it would take to get there - and back.

“This,” he turned, “Is Alyssa. She he helped me out of the desert.”

“Oh, Miss Alyssa!” Amelia smiled and took Alyssa’s hand. “It’s wonderful to meet you!”

“It’s a pleasure.” Alyssa smiled back. She felt a very warm, comforting energy coming from the girl.

“Thank you for helping Mr. Zelgadis. May I ask where you’re from?” the princess asked.

Alyssa had her answer prepared this time. “From beyond the desert. I was looking for someone when something fell from the sky.”

“That’s what caused me to go back,” Zelgadis added.

“Sounds like a long story. You’ll have to tell me over lunch.” Amelia’s eyes brightened at the prospect.

Pokota cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Amelia, but we need to finish unloading the wagons before we can continue.”

“Oh, okay, Mr. Pokota. Mr. Zelgadis, you and Miss Alyssa can check into an inn. The palace is still under renovation.” Amelia pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over. “Here’s the one Mr. Pokota and I are staying in.”

“Come on.” Pokota headed back to the wagons.

“What’s with him,” Zelgadis asked.

He expected a little hassling from him. Pokota may be more civil around Amelia, but he was never without more than a few unsympathetic words.

“Please forgive Mr. Pokota,” said Amelia. “He’s had a rough month. The seeds for spring planting arrived late.”

“Understandable. Alyssa?” Zelgadis turned to her.

“Yes?” she answered.

He jerked his thumb towards the wagons. “How about you go help Amelia, and I’ll go check us in.”

Amelia nearly squealed. “Great!” She tugged Alyssa’s hand. “You can tell me about what happened while we work!”

“O-okay.” Alyssa looked back at Zelgadis who waved as he walked away in the opposite direction. “Um, A-Amelia? Can I ask you about something?”

“Sure! Ask me anything!” Amelia said.

“It’s about Zelgadis...” she said hesitantly.

“Oh, you’re probably wondering about his looks. They scared me too at first, but once I got to know him, I thought he looked rather handsome…in a dark, mysterious kind of way.” Amelia turned to Alyssa and blushingly grinned.

The warm energy Alyssa felt from her grew. _Must be her enthusiasm, or she’s got a crush on Zelgadis._

Alyssa stifled her giggles. “Actually, it was more along the lines of what his connection is with a sorcerer named Rezo.”

Amelia’s whole bodily expression changed. She stopped in her tracks. “Oh.”

_That’s not a good sign._ Alyssa mentally beat herself over the head for asking someone she just met what was obviously a sensitive question about someone else.

Amelia continued walking, still holding her hand, but not with the same enthusiasm as before. “It’s not something he likes to talk about.”

“Obviously,” Alyssa said softly. “But you probably don’t want to dwell on it either, now that he’s finally here to see you.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Amelia said quickly. “It’ll explain a lot actually.”

“Like how this country’s been through so much?” Alyssa asked.

Amelia shook her head. “It goes deeper than that.”

~~~~~

“I understand now,” Alyssa said as she looked straight into Zelgadis’ eyes.

Zelgadis was sitting at an outside table of a restaurant in the early afternoon sun just across the street from the inn drinking coffee and thinking of nothing in particular, merely glad to see Amelia again, when Alyssa came up to him with a very solemn look on her face.

“Understand what?” he asked. 

“Why you didn’t want to tell me before.”

She did not have to explain further.

He got up, left the money for his coffee, and began walking down the street. Zelgadis was not upset, he just did not want to have this discussion right now. It never occurred to him Alyssa would ask Amelia so soon.

He heard Alyssa’s footsteps coming from behind him. “You lost somebody you looked up to.”

Zelgadis did not bother answering and kept walking.

“In a way, I understand how you feel, she continued, “I lost someone too. They taught me things about myself and encouraged me to be my best.”

Alyssa was opening herself up.

At this he slowed down his pace a little and let his curiosity take over. “Then, what happened?”

“She died. She died saving me.” Her voice was very sad. “I can’t help but think that I somehow was responsible for that. Why she would do that for someone like me, I don’t know.”

“It ended a little differently for me.” It was true, he had been betrayed, but in the end, whether he liked it or not, Rezo had been instrumental in saving Zelgadis’ life in exchange for his more than once.

“I know,” Alyssa replied softly.

They turned a corner, not saying a word for a full minute. Alyssa came up beside Zelgadis wringing her hands in nervous relief.

The next time she spoke, her voice was strained. “This is the first time I’ve ever spoken to anyone about her. I couldn’t say anything even when I met her grandson.”

Zelgadis could tell this was a real load off her back. “Where is he now?” he asked.

“He also died. I couldn’t speak of him either after that.”

At this, Zelgadis stopped and looked at her. “Was he a good friend?”

“Oh yes. We were very close. He made me feel… more… human.” Alyssa was not sure if she chose her words carefully enough.

The chimera did not think it odd of her to believe that, considering her powers. “Then you need to honor his memory and not pretend he never existed.”

Her head drooped a little. “It sounds easy, but every time I start thinking of him, or his grandmother, I want to… cry.”

After the first night, Alyssa attempted to access her memories again several times. The images that came flooding back reminded her why she tucked them away and ignored them for a long time. She felt more depressed each time she went back, and after a week she finally gave up.

“It’ll get easier over time,” said Zelgadis. “Facing those feelings will help you deal with the loss. I still have a ways to go, but since I met Amelia and her friend Lina, I’ve made progress.”

Alyssa stared at him, a little puzzled at the sudden encouragement. _Surely, he can’t be the same person I’ve traveled with._

The staring was making Zelgadis uncomfortable.

“Let’s go find Amelia.” He continued walking. “She’s probably ready to take a break.”


	7. Never Take It Off

# ~* SLAYERS: FALLEN STARS *~

## Chapter 7: Never Take It Off

Torrin did not take the news of the nightmare incident well, as expected. He insisted that Filia be watched at all times, but Filia would not have it. She explained it would not help anyway, as the attacker came without warning and with no tangible form. The conversation ended without any definite solution other than asking Lina for ideas the next day.

Without wanting Filia to go to bed in a gloomy mood, Torrin left the subject be and steered toward the original intent of their chat.

Filia talked about the daily grind of running the shop, her girls and their aspirations of becoming great artists, and the little things she did to help her relax. On her days off, she often flew into the mountains west of the city taking Val with her and spending their time near a beautiful mountain stream, where even in winter it provided a perfect playground for little Val to stretch his wings.

She went on about her projects and even took Torrin down to the store room to show him the small vases and tea sets she did herself. The cup Torrin was drinking out of was her favorite, and she did not have the heart to sell it.

Not once did Filia ever mention her life before meeting Lina other than her parents’ names and the fact that she was an only child. She did, however, went into great detail about her first adventure out into the world, the numerous detours Lina and the rest of the gang took, and their final battle with Valgaav.

It was obvious to Torrin she did not want to forget any of it, as this was a reminder of her responsibility to Val. Though raising Val did bring Filia a great deal of joy, Torrin thought it wrong that she ought to feel responsible for what happened. In his mind, it was not her price to pay, and in a way, she was just as much of a victim.

Seeing the look on Filia’s face as she narrated, he figured it would be better to not say it. Her resolve was too great.

There was not enough time in a single evening, so their late night chats became a daily affair, with the others slowly joining in and eagerly sharing their life story. Torrin was the only one who was vague. Claiming it was for security reasons, he left out a great deal, and Lina taunted him relentlessly for it. She was especially interested in the piece of Shabranigdu his clan kept watch over. Torrin held his ground, but not without losing his temper a couple of times.

~~~~~

The activity in the shop rose to a break-neck pace during the next couple of weeks in preparation for the festival, but Filia did everything she could to keep her guests entertained.

Gourry took to Val like he was a baby brother, with wings and a tail, playing with him and attempting to teach simple songs to him. Most of Val’s words were still garbled nonsense, in the form of squeals and O’s, though anyone could get the general idea of what he meant. He gestured his intent very enthusiastically. 

Val was also at the age where he was crawling wherever he could on his human limbs, but he had not tried to test his legs further by pulling himself up on the furniture. With Gourry’s help, Val was soon slowly padding around while holding on to Gourry’s hands.

Once, Val attempted to reach for the coffee table, but as Gourry let go, he fell down a little hard on his bottom and started to cry. Gourry scooped him up by the underarms and bounced the hatchling on a knee until he was giggling again.

Lina watched from behind the door frame of the kitchen where she had been grudgingly helping Jillas with Spring cleaning, her attention on the fatherly look on Gourry’s face. Jillas then came up from behind, scaring her and began scolding her for laziness.

An exchange of a few nasty words and they were back to washing out the cupboards in strained silence. For the rest of that week, Lina could not think of anything else except Gourry’s face when he held Val.

Her feelings toward Val himself were a little more reserved. Lina mostly watched him with curiosity from a distance. The only time she would get close to him was when he was in Filia’s arms, especially during his feedings.

She would ask Filia all sorts of questions, like how long a dragon must breastfeed, which was about four years, starting out around six times a day, eventually dropping to three times a day, how fast does a hatchling grow, which was at half the speed of a human baby until they exited the toddler stage, and more general questions about babies altogether. The majority of the time though, she just watched.

Torrin did approach Lina the day after they arrived to ask about what to do with Filia’s situation. Admittedly, all Lina could think of is just to keep an eye open but not be too intrusive. She did, however, have one convenient piece of arsenal in her possession she picked up while traveling with Milgazia. Lina figured if it really was a monster that attacked her, then at least it will give them warning.

She went to Filia later that day, pulled out the dragoness’ hand, and placed in it a simple necklace with a red teardrop pendant.

The sorceress explained it had similar properties as the talismans she wore, and though it did not give a magical boost like hers, it could give her time to prepare. If it gently glows, a monster is close, but if it turns bright red and starts vibrating, its resonating with the negative energy field a monster is setting up for an attack. Filia could then run to Lina or Torrin, or even Gourry for help.

It certainly put Filia at ease, at first, but the first time the pendant glowed while she was out getting groceries with Lina, Filia had a panic attack and wanted to run back to the shop to check on Val. Lina had to calm her down and reassure her the pendant was not resonating, so there was no danger.

Filia scanned the marketplace just in case, and sure enough, she spotted Xellos down the street.

Her whole expression changed to one of deathly silent anger. She marched down the street toward him, with Lina trailing behind, and halted just a few feet away. Xellos, who knew where they were the whole time, pretended not to notice until then.

He greeted them with the usual overly sweet compliments he always used with Filia now, which was a bit of a shock to Lina, considering the last time she saw them together, neither of them were able to speak to each other civilly. But what amazed her more was when Filia approached Xellos, not with the usual attitude of contempt she held for his race, but with real exasperated concern for why he showed himself.

“You’re picking a real bad time, Xellos,” the dragoness warned. “Unless you have something useful to say, leave.”

Xellos simply ignored her warning. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well, dear Filia. There weren’t any more nightmares since my last visit, I hope.”

He spotted the pendant around her neck, still glowing gently, and picked it up to observe it for a moment.

He did not ask what it was or where it came from, just looked Filia straight in the eye and in a dead serious tone, said, “ _Never_ take this off.”

This left Lina flabbergasted. Not once has she ever heard Xellos speak that way.

Filia was a little taken aback herself, her frustration suddenly diminished. She carefully lifted the pendant out of Xellos’ hand. “I won’t. Now would you please, just go. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Xellos switched back to a more cheerful voice, but his smile seemed off kilter. “Should I announce my arrival from now on?”

Filia let out a sigh. “No, no need. This is the first time I’ve seen it work, and it just gave me a good scare.”

“There’s more to that pendant than just warning the wearer,” Xellos added.

Lina finally entered the conversation. “What do you mean? It doesn’t work like my talismans. It can’t really do much else.”

“Have you taken a good look?” Xellos asked. “Its origins are the same. The pendant has an energy pattern very similar to your talismans.”

“I realize _that_ , but--”

“--Your talismans are used to amplify. This pendant is used to deflect.”

A realization came over Lina: What was the point of being warned if it offered no means of protection? “Just what _can_ it deflect?”

Xellos shrugged. “Well, it does tell when someone like me is nearby, so I gather just about anything I can throw at it. I don’t know the full extent of its powers, but it sure won’t let anyone get a jump on you. If there’s a weakness, I’ve yet to figure it out.”

“Well, I doubt Filia would be willing to become your little test subject, so I think Egan and I will keep a close eye on her,” Lina said suspiciously.

Filia was looking at the pendant in her hand the whole time. Knowing how powerful Lina’s talismans were, there was no telling what else her own blood stone was capable of.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Lina.” Xellos bowed in reassurance. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t have the time anyway, as I will be held up on business for a while.”

Filia looked up. “Wait, did you ever find out more about the two beings in the desert?”

Xellos took the trouble to look thoughtful. “Hmm, I’m afraid not, except they’re not in the desert anymore. It’s like they flew away.”

“Oh great,” Lina moaned. “I thought you said they were on their last legs.”

“That I did, but on my return one was missing and I felt a very odd energy burst heading north, then…nothing. Absolutely nothing.” The monster shrugged. “Not even the resistance I felt before.”

“How can they just…shut themselves off like that?” Lina asked. “If they’re stirring up every creep in the astral plane, surely _someone_ would’ve found out who they were by now. There would be no place to hide! I’m surprised you couldn’t!”

“I was acting on orders,” Xellos replied. “It would not have made much of a difference anyway. I wasn’t kidding when I said I tried but couldn’t.”

He felt the strange sinking feeling again and looked at Filia, whose face was a bit pale. “Are you worried, dear Filia?”

She lightly shook her head. “I’m just wondering, if this had anything to do with my nightmare. The man that I saw, he didn’t look like a monster though he felt very much like one.”

“All the more reason why you should hang on to that pendant,” Xellos said.

“That being said, don’t keep us in the dark on what’s going on in the monster world,” warned Lina.

“If anything else happens, I’ll make sure you’re one of the first to know, so until next time, stay safe.” Xellos directed the last part of his statement toward Filia before he phased out.

“Lina?” Filia asked a moment later, “Where did you find this?” She referred to the pendant.

“Bought it off a friend…before they died --I’ll-tell-you-about-it-later,” Lina finished quickly, not wanting to dwell on that episode much further. “And what is with Xellos acting overprotective and calling you dear?”

“He’s just trying to annoy me.” Filia nervously waved it off and turned back in the direction of the market.

Her mind was only half focused on the question. All she really wanted right then was to go home and hold her beloved Val in her arms. _Things must be getting bad if Xellos is going to be busy._

~~~~~

There was no time to really think too much about it after that day. The shop was in a frenzy of activity. Only during meals was there any room to breathe. Even the bathrooms were occupied much of the time with girls trying to scrub themselves off after each round of pots going into the kilns.

It was almost too much for Torrin, who suffered from prolonged stares and blushing giggles from the girls, not to mention needing to be extra careful when he finally had a chance to grab one of the bathrooms. Gourry did not seem to mind the attention as much, which often put Lina in a foul mood.

Filia finally had enough herself when one day she kept overhearing some of the girls talking about what might Torrin and Gourry look like, _without apparel_.

She figured the best solution was to keep them out of sight during working hours, so Filia asked Torrin if he would be interested in seeing the mountain stream she talked about a few days before and could take Gourry and even Val with him.

It was one of the best ideas Filia came up with. Not only did the chatter about them die down, Lina’s attitude improved and Torrin and Gourry found the perfect place to practice and spar with each other. Filia only had to take a quick trip to bring lunch and check on Val, who was having the time of his life.

One late afternoon, Filia went to fetch them because the shop was closing a little early that day, which meant no giggling girls to deal with. Gourry was relaxing under a large tree along the mountain path beside Val who was still taking his afternoon nap. She asked him where Torrin was, and he pointed towards the opening at the end of the path.

Filia found Torrin lounging on large boulder about as high as her shoulders by the clear calm river. He wore a dark blue sleeveless open tunic loosely wrapped around him and tied with a matching belt showing off his large yet lean muscular physic the Dimos were well known for as it flapped idly in the evening breeze. His black baggy pants were of the same style many nomadic desert men wore, and in Filia’s eyes, it made Torrin look like a thief from exotic faraway land.

His tied back hair, the small silver medallion hanging around his neck, thick bracelet on each wrist, and small axe and knife hanging casually at his sides added an air of confidence such a thief would need to raid a tomb.

Torrin looked so relaxed, like a drawing out of an adventure book, that Filia didn’t want to disturb him.

However, he noticed her staring and without a glance, said in his natural accent, “You look like one of the human girls, when you do that.”

Filia looked away, her face getting pink. “I’m nothing like them.”

Torrin jumped down from the boulder and leaned on it as he smiled. “Then why did you send me and Gourry away?”

“That was just to keep them from acting like a bunch of stupid teenagers,” she said, still not looking at him.

“Well, you certainly look young enough to be one of them,” he teased.

“But I’m more mature than they are. After all, I am four hundred and--” Filia clamped a hand over her mouth.

It was not very dragoness-like to blurt one’s age out without anyone asking. Besides, compared to the girls she was not much older in dragon years.

“And what?” Torrin pressed on, still smiling.

She slowly lifted her hand away. “And twenty-one.”

Torrin could not help but laugh at the discomfited expression on her face.

“What is it with you?!” Filia burst out. “You’re so serious all the time, then out of nowhere, you make fun of me!”

“I’m sorry!” He continued to laugh as he walked towards her. “You’ve seemed a little stressed out lately, I just wanted to make you feel better. I didn’t think you were going to take that so seriously.”

“It was a bad joke,” Filia said flatly.

Torrin stopped laughing but still had a smirk on his face. “I know. I’ve never been good with jokes. At least I got something out of it.”

Filia’s face pinked again as she stared down at the grass beneath her.

“Let’s go,” Torrin sighed contentedly as he made his way towards the path.

Filia followed behind without a word.

“You know,” Torrin continued, “You should be proud of yourself for taking on a lot of responsibility at your age. Most dragons like to take their time on accomplishing anything, as if the world waits for them.”

Filia’s heart skipped a little at the compliment.

“What about you?” she asked gently teasing. “What have you accomplished.”

Torrin stopped and turned around.

Her face was still blushed, but she looked more flattered than embarrassed now.

He also took notice of what she was wearing. Her dress was covered in tiny roses of her favorite color on top of a cream background with a dark pink bodice and elbow length ruffled sleeves. It was one of the dresses she would only wear if she was spending most of the day behind the counter of her shop.

Filia’s hair was also down and caught the sunlight beautifully. Torrin liked it when she left it down.

“Enough,” he finally answered. “I’m only a hundred and fifty years ahead of you, so I still have a lot left to do myself.”

Torrin turned around and continued walking, hoping she did not think he was ogling her.

Filia continued to follow him. “Then you shouldn’t be so serious most of the time. You might come up with better jokes.”

“I know, I’m trying. Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I laughed that hard. I guess I should thank you for that, even if it was a bad joke.” Torrin smiled at her over his shoulder.

He saw her look down at the ground again but was also smiling. Torrin thought it was so sweet he was fighting the urge to turn around again and catch her in a hug, just to see how red her face could get.

They were almost at the mouth of the path when Filia spoke up again. “Torrin?”

“Yes?” he answered.

“Would you go with me…to the festival?”

He turned around again, not sure if he heard her right.

Filia was forcing herself to look him in the face. “I’d like a regular dance partner at the festival, and the girls will probably mob you for a dance. I thought…maybe if…we went together…then…” She let herself trail off.

The idea had been mulling around in her head since the week before when she watched Torrin attempt to give Lina a dance lesson after she complained she did not know how, having two left feet. Lina’s reason was she wanted to impress Gourry at the festival. She could not admit it out loud, but Filia saw it written all over her face, and Torrin was no dunce about it either.

It was the only time Filia remembered him not losing his temper with Lina.

But Filia wanted to be a bit braver than Lina and try asking outright, so she could have a chance of a whole evening with Torrin again.

However, Torrin was hoping to avoid something like this.

His compliments and teasing were not merely out of kindness. He did like her, _really_ like her, but this was a job. Eventually he will have to report back to Milgazia, who will most likely try some other method to convince her, especially if Milgazia ever found out about her age.

Filia would hate him for it, and there were other things about himself he deliberately left out for reasons besides his job, things that a proper dragoness should not hear about.

The prolonged silence worried Filia.

Immediately in her head she came up with a dozen good reasons why Torrin would say no, the biggest two being her commitment to Val, and his promise to Milgazia. She hardly gave them a thought the last three weeks, until now.

“F-forget it! it’s okay,” she finally said too zealously. “I’ll probably be too busy this year anyway to dance. The store can be a real _madhouse_ during festivals!”

Filia forced her feet forward in an awkward march onto the mountain path leaving Torrin behind.

Torrin watched Filia stop by the tree Gourry and Val were resting under and ask if he was ready to go like nothing bothered her.

_I knew it._

He had to give her a definite answer later. It was the proper thing to do.

~~~~~

Filia had a restless night.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Torrin now that she knew he had no romantic interest in her and kept telling herself she should know better than to assume. All the little things he had said and done since they first met plagued her sleep, like her mind was searching for some sort of validation for her foolish assumption to make herself feel better.

Little Val sensed her frustration, taking well over an hour during his nighttime feeding session. He could not settle down afterwards like when he had terrible bouts of colic a few months before. Poor Filia only got a couple hours of sleep before she had to get up and start another long day.

The festival was only a few days away which meant all of Filia’s girls were at the back of the shop through the day and evening finishing up their pieces they were going to showcase. Tempers were strained to the max, and Filia warned all of them whether they start a fight or not they will be sent home if they refused to be cordial to each other.

Because Spring cleaning was done and there was nothing else to do, Lina insisted on helping with storing their wares promising she will not start anything.

Out in the backyard large crates were carefully stacked sitting underneath huge brown tarps keeping the extra imports protected from the weather. Their owners would show up the day before to set their stands up along the town’s main street being reserved for out of town merchants.

Gourry and Torrin joined the other men of the town setting up stages for dancing and performances, and as usual, Jillas kept Val company while Gravos went between tending the shop and guarding the extra wares in the back from possible thieves.

With so much going on, it made it convenient for Filia to avoid crossing paths with Torrin. The whole week passed in a blur for her until the last night before the festival when everything slowed to a lethal crawl, and she finally had a chance to dwell on her depressing thoughts again.

Only a couple of girls were still at the shop to help with clean up that evening when Filia decided to take her bath before putting Val to bed. All she wanted was a quiet evening and a decent night’s rest.

She past by Janna who came up for a quick snack in the hallway. The girl looked at her but did not say anything until Filia put her hand on the bathroom doorknob.

“Wait! Don’t go--”

Too late. Filia turned the knob and opened.

Torrin was standing there, dripping wet, out of the bathtub, and stark naked.

Filia calmly closed the door but did not take her eyes off of it. Fumbling sounds came from the bathroom.

Janna came over with a large grin on her face. “What did you see?”

Filia looked at her. “Nothing!” she said in a voice that sounded too chipper.

“Right…” Janna giggled and took off down the hall.

Filia looked back at the door. She saw everything. _All of it._

She knew Torrin was well built as Dimos dragons were the physically strongest out of all the dragons, but with one look at the _whole thing_ she was breathless.

“Wow.” Filia shook her head. _Don’t even think of it!_

Her heart raced out of embarrassment and pleasure. She leaned forward against the door and hid her face.

“Don’t even _dare_ think of him in that way!” she said to herself.

“In what way?” Torrin asked from the other side.

Filia squealed and jumped back from the door.

Torrin opened it, now fully clothed from the waist down but still wet which did not help Filia’s nerves at all.

Filia put up her hands in apology keeping her now very red face down. “I’m sorry! I should’ve knocked first!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Torrin quickly reassured her.

“I really am sorry!” She turned to leave as quickly as possible, but Torrin stepped in front of her.

He gently put his hands on her shoulders. “I said it was okay, Filia.”

Filia looked up at him.

Torrin had no trace of embarrassment on his face. In fact, he was smiling, almost laughing.

“It was an honest mistake, okay?” He fought back his laughter. “The one time I forget to lock the door…Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“Now?” Her eyes grew wide. “This is a little too awkward,” she said, looking away.

“Well, you’ve been avoiding me all week,” said Torrin.

“I haven’t well… I’ve been bus--”

“--I didn’t mean to turn you down.”

Filia looked back at Torrin, who now looked earnestly apologetic.

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. “Oh…”

He let go of her shoulders, seeing he had her full attention now. “I didn’t want to turn you down, but it wouldn’t have been a good idea.”

“I see.” Filia’s eyes fell to the floor.

“I should have said something sooner,” he continued on. “I’m sorry. Forgive me for misleading you.”

Torrin’s own stomach twisted a little at his own words and seeing her so disappointed. He bent down, and on Filia’s left cheek pressed his lips gently against it, just missing her mouth. Torrin felt her hold her breath in surprise.

He lingered there, waiting until she released it slowly, feeling it tingling in his ear. Torrin then lifted his lips to Filia’s ear.

“You’re very sweet,” he whispered. “I would never let anyone hurt you, but I can’t do this.”

“I-I understand,” Filia whispered back.

Torrin straightened up and immediately turn towards the bathroom to gather his things and to avoid her gaze.

When he finished he walked down the hallway to his room. “You can have the bathroom now. Make sure you get plenty of sleep.”

Filia did not move until he closed his door.

She touched her cheek where he had kissed her as she walked into the bathroom and gently closed its door behind her. She thought she would feel better knowing what he really felt about her, but she honestly never felt worse.

The ache in her stomach intensified almost to the point of tears.

Over the two years she had lived there, Filia watched her girls go from one boy to the next. One day they act as though they were high in the clouds when they meet someone new, and the next day they would feel like it was the end of the world simply because they were turned down. Filia always thought herself above this.

“Boy, did I ever fool myself,” she said sadly.

In her clan, courtship was far more structured, with numerous little rituals both dragons and dragonesses must go through before they can begin courting each other. After that there were many more customs that must be observed before the courtship can elevate to another level.

It was all put in place to avoid the passionate mistakes that humans often made, and most dragons go through the entire chivalrous cycle with maybe only one or two dragons before finally choosing a lifelong mate. Only a few bother going through it again after the death of a spouse or other unforeseen circumstances.

In spite of thinking she knew better than her girls, Filia did prefer the human way. They did not wait around forever, and if it was a mistake, it was a mistake. They dealt with it, some better than others, and moved on.

_Well, if I consider myself more mature than my girls, I better act like it._

Filia’s throat clinched. “But it hurts.”

She felt a sob coming on, so she busied herself around the bathroom to distract her thoughts. By the time her bath was ready Filia was sniffing and a couple of big tears were rolling down her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Part I! As the story progresses, I will put extra information here or at the beginning of chapters to explain a few things and possibly do short original character profiles to help you keep up with them.
> 
> Stay tuned for Fallen Stars Part II: Good Old-Fashioned Festival Fun
> 
> It's about to get interesting *evil laugh*
> 
> ~NB~


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